Origins
by Nilmiel
Summary: First meetings spin threads that intertwine and grow into relationships, and the path is always unique.
1. The Girl

EDIT: I've decided to go through and fix all the chapters in Origins and maybe add some things. That's all.

A/N: So, this is sort of based on stuff from manga chapter 58, contains spoilers.

Disclaimer: FMA is not mine. If it were, Roy and Riza would have been married by now, Greed wouldn't have died, and Ling and Ran Fan would be rulers of Xing.

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"Riza, come on, stand up straight."

A young girl with chocolate brown eyes and short cropped blond hair stood behind her grandfather. She had one hand clasped firmly to her grandfather's pants, while the other was curled tight into a fist.

"Don't be so shy, dear. This isn't like you at all."

"Grandpa, I don't normally have to stand out in my yard in my best dress. You and daddy know I hate them!"

"I know, sweetheart, but you have to look good today, first impressions are important."

Riza humphed, but stood up straighter stood out from behind her grandfather. She looked at her father who was standing in front of the both of them. He was talking to a tall man with black hair and dark eyes that looked like the ones of the people farther east. The man's hair was a little grey, like her own father's, but he still had some sort of awe around him. Behind the man was a boy. He looked almost her age, but maybe a little older. He was a split image of the tall man, but his hair was messier and his eyes were darker. His hands were shoved into his pockets, and he had a scowl on his face. He noticed her eyes scrutinizing him, and he raised his own eyes to meet hers. He stuck his tongue out at her.

She glared at her, and stuck her own tongue out in return. "Riza," Her grandfather scoffed. "Manners."

"But Grandpa, he-"

"You know better."

She remained silent and glared at the boy, who continued to glare at her in return. She was torn away from her awkward starring contest by her father's voice. "Riza, come here."

She snapped up straight and walked to her father's side. "Yes father?"

The tall man reached down and took her hand.

"Mr. Mustang," He said, "This is my daughter Riza. She turned eight this year."

The man smiled, and held out his hand, which Riza willingly took and shook firmly, just as her grandfather had taught her. He was a Brigadier General in the military, and so instilled his firm policies into hiss granddaughter.

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Mustang," She said.

"It's my pleasure, Riza," He said, smiling. He turned to the boy behind him. "Roy, come here, please."

The boy walked sulkily up to the man. Riza's father turned to her. "Riza, this is Roy. He's going to be studying alchemy with me for a few years, and is going to be living in our home. He's a few years older than you, and I expect you will treat him with respect."

Riza nodded, and extended her hand to the sullen boy. "Pleased to meet you, Roy," She said, a hint of bitterness in her voice, remembering the rude gesture he had offered her earlier.

He took her hand somewhat reluctantly and shook it firmly, much like his father had. "Pleased to meet you, Riza," He mumbled.

Riza removed her hand from his grasp and stepped back to her grandfather. Her father leaned in to discuss something with Roy's father. It was probably that alchemy stuff. He'd been obsessed with it for as long as she could remember, but she didn't see why it was so great. She loved her father of course, very dearly. He had always been with her, and when her mother had died all those years ago, he took it more upon himself to care for her in every way imaginable. Her grandfather, her mother's father, had been with them a while as well.

Her father began to walk towards them and motion them into the house. Riza complied; she wanted desperately to be rid of this infernal dress. It was so annoying. She would much rather be climbing trees in her jeans and a t-shirt than playing tea-party in frilly dresses like all of the other girls at her school did. She was about to walk into her house when she heard a noise behind her. She turned her head slightly, and saw Roy tugging on his father's suit. His father bent down, and said something to his father that Riza only just managed to hear.

"Dad, do I have to stay?"

"Roy, you were the one who begged me to get you an alchemy teacher."

"I know, I know, but there's an annoying girl here. She's the only kid, and I won't be able to do anyting! She'll probably make me play dress up and tea parties and stuff."

"Young man, Mr. Hawkeye is the best alchemist in the area. His techniques are exquisite, and he can help you learn things you can't from those books. I don't want a single complaint out of you because he happens to have a daughter. Is that clear?"

There was a pause, and then a small 'yes sir' from Roy.

"Good." His father said. "Now, go on in. I'm sure you will be at home here. Your mother and I will write often, and you'll write us back, right?"

"Course."

"Good. I love you," He bent down and kissed his son's cheek, who quickly wiped it off, mortified. "Dad," he groaned.

His father laughed, handed him his suitcase, and walked back down the front walk into the waiting cab. Roy didn't even look back, and walked up the steps to the house. He noticed Riza looking at him.

"What are you looking at, you ugly girl?"

She glared at him, and marched up the steps into the house. "Stupid boy," She muttered.

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Riza pulled on some jeans and sighed contentedly. "Thank god I don't have to wear that dress any more!" She said to no one in particular. She pulled on a grey t-shirt, and put on her red baseball cap, and grabbed her slingshot and shoved it in her back pocket.

She was in her room. Solitude. She thought she would be spending more time here now. Roy had the guest room that was unfortunately right across the hallway from her. She wanted to avoid him as much as possible.

She walked over to the window and opened it, climbed out on the ledge, and grabbed the tree branch of the old sycamore that was right out side her room and swung herself into it's branches. She loved having that tree there. She used to always climb out this way whenever she and her father had a fight and run into the field behind her house. Even though she lived close to Central, her father had a house on the outskirts, and so their hose was pretty secluded. Their nearest neighbor was a couple of blocks away.

She shimmied carefully down the tree, avoiding a few cuts and bruises. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she took off running in the direction of the field in the back. There was also a small creek that ran near her house, and she felt like fishing.

Riza stuck her hands in her pockets, and wandered in the field, looking for a good stick to use. Her eyes caught sight of a particularly good-looking one, and she bent down to pick it up. It was about as tall as her, so she snapped off a small portion. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a length of twine, and tied it to the stick.

"Now we need some worms," She said to herself. She wandered closer to the creek until she found some dirt that was pretty soft. She sat down, and started digging at it with a small stick on the ground. The dirt fell away easily, and she pushed it aside with her hands. She saw what she was looking for, and stuck her hands into the mud and pulled out a particularly fat earthworm. She smiled, and began to stand up.

"What are you doing?"

She turned around. Roy was standing there. Did he follow her out here? Boys were so weird. "I'm getting worms for fishing, what does it look like?" She said swiftly and turned her back, and marched up to the creek, and sat down on a rock.

"I thought girls didn't like getting their hands dirty."

She turned and glared at him. "What, are we not allowed?"

He shrugged and stood there silently.

Riza focused back on what she was doing and tied the worm to the sting. It squirmed there, and she held her homemade pole out over the water. The current tugged slightly on the string, but it wasn't so strong that it completely floated away.

"You won't catch anything without a hook."

"I don't care." She snapped.

He was silent. Riza didn't bother to look back, but she hoped he'd gotten bored and had gone back inside. A few small fish swan cautiously up to the worm, but none really touched it. She moved the pull back and forth, watching her small following pursue the bait. A crawdad poked out from under the rock and latched onto the worm. Riza yanked it out of the water, and carefully removed her prize. "Wow!" She exclaimed, fingering the small crustacean and poking it with her fingers.

"Those pinch, you know."

He was still there. She set her stick down, and stood up and turned to face him. "Don't you have alchemy or something to be studying?"

"No. Your dad said I could have tonight free."

"Well then go somewhere else. I thought you didn't like girls."

"There's nothing else to do."

"Well then find something."

She sat back down and picked up her rod. Roy wandered back and forth behind her for a couple of minutes. "This is boring."

Riza rolled her eyes. "You're the one who wanted to be out here!"

He kicked some dirt in her direction.

"Why do you have a slingshot?"

"Because I like it."

"Can you shoot anything?"

"Probably better than you can."

"Do you shoot animals?"

"No. I shoot targets my grandfather gave me."

"How far away can you hit them?"

"Pretty far."

"I bet I can go farther."

"I bet you can't."

"I bet you I can."

"You're on," Riza said standing up. She set her pole down where she could find it again and returned the crawdad to the water.

"You have to let me use your slingshot."

"I don't care, I'll beat you anyways."

"Nuh uh,"

"Yeah huh!"

"So where are the targets?"

"On those two trees over there."

"Let's go, then."

They marched over to the trees, and Roy looked at the targets.

"So what do you shoot them with?"

"Pieces of chalk, so I can see where I hit." She reached into the nook of a tree and pulled out two pieces of chalk, one red, and one blue. She broke off a pebble-sized piece from each, and handed the red one to Roy. "There. Go back from wherever you want and shoot the target."

"I want blue."

She glared, but ceded the chalk to him. "Fine, take it. Now go shoot."

Roy stuck his tongue out at her, and marched back thirty feet from the target. He carefully aimed the slingshot, and let it fly. There was a crack as it collided with the tree, and a blue smear was seen slightly off center.

"Beat that, you stupid girl!" He called from where he stood. Riza growled, walked up to him, snatched her slingshot, and proceeded to walk fifteen feet farther back than he was.

"You can't make that." He jeered.

"Watch me."

She raised the slingshot to eye level, and pulled back the rubbed band between the two prongs. Carefully, she slipped the red chalk piece inside, and narrowed one eye. She measured the distance to the target, pulled back the band some more for good measure, and sent the chalk sailing. A small thud was heard. Roy began to run to the tree. She ran after him, and skidded to a halt by the target.

On the target, a piece of red oblivion was all that was left of the chalk. It was a perfect circle, dead center.

Roy stared at for a moment. He looked at her, then back at the tree, and at her again. "Lucky shot," he said.

"Was not, I'm just better than you."

"You are not!"

"I am so!"

"You're a girl!"

"So? You want to fight over it?"

"I'm not afraid to hit a girl!"

"Neither am I!"

"Are you calling me a girl?"

"You called me one!"

With that, she took off running back to the house, looked over her shoulder, and stuck her tongue out once more. He took off after, both yelling at one another, all the way back to the house.

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Brigadier General Grumman looked out the upstairs window at the two children running after each other and yelling in the back yard.

"So," he said, turning to his son in law. "Shall we call the Mustang's and arrange a dowry?"

Mr. Hawkeye just chuckled.

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So, what do you think? Comments? Questions? Flames? I love my reviewers! Next chapter should be up soon!


	2. The Boy

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Chapter II: The Boy

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He was sitting in his new room, hunched over a book. His new teacher and flung open his door early that morning and shoved a book in his face. "Three days," He had said. "You have three days to read that book and then summarize what you learned."

Roy sighed and tugged at his hair. He knew all of this. The entire book was written on equivalent exchange. This was child's play. He had known about equivalent exchange forever! It was easy. To get something you had to give something. There. No questions asked. He didn't understand why he had to be here, reading five hundred pages on it. There wasn't even a single description of an alchemy array, or anything. And to make things worse, he couldn't concentrate. That stupid girl across the hall was making to much noise.

His room was empty and barren, the walls a dull white, a brown fan on the ceiling that spun lazily in the afternoon breeze coming in from the window. It hardly felt like home at all. He doubted he would ever get used to it here. And then there was that girl.

Of course, he had three older sisters, but they were hardly ever home. One had already moved out and was married, and the other two were always out and busy with boyfriends. They didn't bother him much and he hardly had to even spend any time at all with them.

Roy tried vainly to concentrate on the boring work set in front of him, but his mind kept wandering back to yesterday's slingshot contest. How had that girl beaten him? She was a girl! Automatically inferior. But she had beaten him. Of course, pride would ever prevent him from admitting it, but his heart kept shoving it under his nose that she was better than him at something. She didn't even act like girls were supposed to. She had really short hair, wore pants and played with bugs and slingshots. He found this unbelievably infuriating. Who ever had heard of a girl who didn't like dolls? She thought she could do what she wanted and act like a boy? It was disgusting!

He closed his eyes and began to read the same sentence again for the umpteenth time.

'_The purpose of the awareness required of alchemists' equivalent exchange is to promote the mechanical understanding of science. Alchemists are human beings, subjugated to the laws of Nature, and as such beings under the physical requirements of science. Mass cannot be diverted, rather, only volumes may be exchanged. Elements that are broken down into subatomic particles must be rebuilt using the same material of the original piece of matter.'_

Roy resisted the urge to fling himself on the ground and scream. He was supposed to be learning alchemy, not reading stupid stuff like this!

WHAM.

A loud noise entered his room from across the hall.

_Thud. Smash._ There was the sound of something like marbles rolling across the floor. He couldn't take it anymore. He threw the book down on his bed, marched over across the hall, and threw the door open. "What in the world are you doing, idiot?"

Riza was crouched on the floor, one hand extended under her bed. There were pencils scattered on the floor, and the chair at her desk was knocked over. At the sight of Roy, she stood up straight. "Why are you in my room?" She demanded.

"I'm seeing what you were doing that was so loud."

"It's none of your business-"

She was cut off as a frog jumped out from under her bed, and leapt up onto her desk.

"There you are!" She exclaimed, and quickly scooped him up. "Do you know how much trouble I had to go through to find you?" She said to the frog.

Roy stared at her. "You catch frogs, too?"

"Is there a problem? And why are you sill here?"

Roy turned to walk out, but at that moment, something landed on his head. He jumped suddenly, and Riza laughed.

"Wait!" She burst out. She ran up to him and scooped the frog off of his head. "Sorry about that." She had to hold her sides to keep from laughing.

"Its not funny," He said sourly.

"Sorry," She giggled, pushing him out of the room. "Now, go study your alchemy, and knock next time."

He watched her slam the door in his face, and he walked back to his room. "Girls are so weird." He muttered to himself.

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Roy sat at the diner table sullenly. Riza's father had ordered them some carryout, and he poked at it quietly. Riza was eating her food rather quickly. Obviously, she was eager to get back up to the frog hidden in her room. Mr. Hawkeye was eating with one hand while studying book in the other. Roy leaned over to see what it was. The title on the book was _'Theories on Advanced Alchemy and the Usage of Equivalent Exchange of Personal Items.'_

Mr. Hawkeye noticed the boy staring at the book and folded it shut. "Does this interest you, Roy?" He asked in a friendly manner.

"Yes, Mr. Hawkeye."

"It's nonsense, really. The ideas here are idiotic theorems based on nothing but psychic gibberish."

"Couldn't it help to further your research, sir?"

Mr. Hawkeye chuckled. "No, not really. I was reading this for my own amusement."

Riza looked up. "That's about all you ever read, father. You don't read any normal novels at all."

"It's what I enjoy, Riza. You're mother was the one who loved novels."

"Grandpa said you always argued with her about whose hobby was better. He also said you always backed down."

Her father laughed, reached over and tousled her hair. "Yes, that's true. Your mother was quite persuasive in those respects."

Riza smiled, and continued to eat. Mr. Hawkeye turned his attention back to Roy. "How far are you in that book I gave you, Roy?"

"I'm about halfway done, sir."

"Very good, very good. When you finish, I expect a written paper on the significance of equivalent exchange. Since it is such a broad topic, I assume you will be able to cover the subject easily."

"Yes, sir, but, why do I have to read this? I've already studied equivalent exchange and I know what it's about."

Mr. Hawkeye put his fork down.

"Tell me, Roy. What was the most complicated alchemy attempt you have ever performed?"

"I made a garden statue for my mother, once."

"Out of what?"

"Sandstone, I think."

"And what was the final product?"

"Sandstone as well."

"Why not granite or marble? The same rock and sediment in sandstone can be compressed into other types of rock."

"I didn't know how."

"And why not?"

"Because I hadn't studied that yet."

"You have just told me that you have."

"I said I studied equivalent exchange, sir, not-"

"Equivalent exchange is the lacking principle in your work there, Roy. All you needed to do was exchange a large particle of sand for a smaller, more compressed one. Equivalent exchange is the basis for all alchemy. With out it, alchemy would not exist, and it wouldn't work. If you can't understand every detail on equivalent exchange, then you have no hope on mastering alchemy."

Roy fell silent.

"Roy, I have spoken with your father. You have potential, but you lack patience. I have no doubt that you will become a great alchemist, if you can only concentrate on something for a while."

"Thank you, sir. When will I be able to go on to more advanced things, like all the other books in your study?"

"When I think you are able. In the meantime, I will give you your own study, I'm sure it will be more comfortable than your room."

Roy's eyes lit up, "Really? Thank you, sir!"

Riza sighed and laid her face on her hand. "Aww, is his all you two are ever gonna talk about? At least when grandpa was here we could talk about interesting stuff."

"Shut up, you stupid girl, you don't know anything." Roy said. Realizing instantly the atrocity he had committed in front of his teacher, he quickly covered his mouth and his eyes widened.

"Roy," Mr. Hawkeye snapped. "I suggest you apologize to my daughter. You are going to be living in the same house, you had better learn to become civil to one another."

Roy bowed his head. "Forgive me, sir," he said.

"Don't tell me, young man, tell her." He motioned at Riza.

"Sorry, Riza," Roy mumbled.

Riza smiled, resisting the urge to mock him and stick out her tongue. Instead she turned to her father. "That's it? You're not gonna make him do his paper a day early or anything?"

Mr. Hawkeye smiled at her. "No, more than likely I would have done the same thing at his age. In fact, when I first met your mother, I acted much in the same way. I called her stupid for not understanding alchemy." He laughed. "Maybe you two will end up married one day.

Both shot him looks of surprise and disgust. "Dad!" Riza cried, mortified.

"Mr. Hawkeye!" Roy groaned.

He laughed at their reactions and began to clean up the table. Riza handed him her plate and ran back up the stairs. Roy handed him his own plate as well, and began to follow her. "Don't go just yet, Roy," Mr. Hawkeye called. "I want you to see when I make your study."

"You're gonna use alchemy?"

"I was planning on it, yes."

"Cool!" He shouted.

Mr. Hawkeye laughed and pointed up the stairs. "Now, go study."

"Yes, sir!" Roy said, and ran up the stairs to his room.

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"Ughh, I hate this!" Roy said, pulling at his hair. He was once again trying to immerse himself into the book on equivalent exchange, the first of many, he assumed. After the lecture at dinner that night, he got the impression that he would be doing this for a while. Mr. Hawkeye had promised to do the alchemy to make his study the next day, and this was about the only thing that kept him going. He liked his sensei, even though he hated having to do this. And it wasn't even the third day.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in, " He mumbled. The door opened and Riza stepped in, carrying a tray with a glass of milk and two cookies. He looked at them longingly before asking, "What do you want?"

"Dad wanted me to bring you these and make sure that you were studying." She said, setting the tray down on his desk. "I didn't come to say hi or anything."

She was about to walk out the door when a croak sounded in her pocket. She froze.

"You still have that thing?" Roy asked, somewhat amused.

"You got something against it?"

"Why do you act like such a boy, you dumb girl?"

"Why do you like alchemy so much, you dumb boy?"

"You wouldn't understand it, you're too stupid."

At this she fumed. She marched right over and stood in his face. "I don't study alchemy because I think it's stupid. My dad tried to teach me a few times, but I didn't like it. I remember and know how to do some things even. And I don't act like a boy. Boys are idiots!" She shouted and slammed the door.

Roy sat flabbergasted. What the heck was up with this girl? She wasn't like any of them he had ever met before. She was completely crazy! He didn't know how he was going to survive in the same house as her for a few years while he studied alchemy with Mr. Hawkeye. She would be the death of him.

"Girls are so weird," He said, taking a bite out of one of the cookies she had brought up for him and a huge swing of milk. "They must be aliens."

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Thanks so much for everyone's support! A big thanks goes to:

Pharaohs Queen , kmi-san , Puddles24 , Crimsy Mi-chan


	3. In Town

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Chapter III: In Town

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"Dad, why do I have to go? Shouldn't Roy have to go by himself?" Riza whined at her father. He had given the order that the two children would have to walk into town to collect some of the materials needed for Roy's new study. Riza wouldn't have minded going alone, but having to walk with that boy into town would more than likely drive her crazy. He would ask stupid and annoying questions and refuse to do any work at all.

"No, Riza, you will need his help to carry things home, and he will need you to help him find the way. You help him do one thing; he will help you to do another. It's equivalent trade."

Riza groaned. "Father, I don't really care about that stuff."

"Just go on, Riza."

Riza groaned and began to walk down the path in front of their house. "Come on," she said to a sullen Roy who didn't look at all too pleased to go shopping with a girl. "I don't want to do this any more than you do, but what dad says goes. Now lets get moving."

She strode ahead of him, and he followed her from behind with hands in pockets. Town was about an hour away, and she wanted to get there and back as soon as possible. She had been working on building a habitat for her frog that she had caught yesterday when her father had called them down, and she didn't want him escaping. Roy wasn't really helping considering he was going as slow as physically possible. Finally, she was fed up and stood in back of him and began to push him.

"Come on, walk faster!" She mumbled.

Surprised at her actions, Roy complied, glancing over his shoulder at the girl pushing him down the path. Not only was it a girl, she was younger than him, too. He was to surprise to react at first and it took him a moment to shrug her off and walk forward himself, although this time he went at a decent speed in order to avoid incurring the wrath of this crazy girl.

They reached the town in less than half an hour, and not much passed between the two of them except for glares and unspoken anger with the other, although the anger had died down from when the two had first met, and had shrunk from vehement loathing to civil dislike. This was probably because they both feared the wrath of Mr. Hawkeye more than they disliked one another.

Riza took the list from her pocket and read over it carefully. "Lets see… we need some iron nails, steel plates, two bags of sawdust, a 30 foot length of copper wire, and some apples."

"Apples?" Roy asked questioningly.

"Well yeah, we don't have any," Riza scoffed. "Jeesh."

Roy sighed. "Well, where do we go first?"

"The hardware store," Riza said pointing to the store in the distance. She reached into her pocket and pulled out some bills and some coins. "Lets see, Dad gave us one thousand ens, so… lets see. The sawdust we can get for free from the hardware store, the steel plates will be about 600 cens total, the wire 100 cens, nails about 10 cens, and the apples are normally ten cens each, so if we get two dozen, that's 240 cens, which makes the total-"

"950 cens. 50 cens to spare."

"I'm not stupid, I could have figured that out."

"Whatever."

"Lets just go," She said grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the store. He yanked his arm away, slightly put off that she had just grabbed him like that, but followed her anyways.

The store wasn't that crowded, but the streets outside were, so it was a nice break to be inside away from all the people. It was extremely spacious, and the walls were piled high with merchandise. Riza began walking to the back of the store and Roy swiftly followed suit. She turned corner after corner, and Roy found himself loosing sense of direction. Finally she stopped in front of two large swinging doors and pushed them open. This place was much more claustrophobic; the walls were tighter, and the room reeked of damp wood and construction.

"Hello?" Riza called. "Anyone here? Mr. Anderson?"

An old man appeared out from one of the piles of wood and plates. "Ah! Riza. Running errands for your father again? What's making this time, huh?"

"Actually, Mr. Anderson, he's making a study for him," She said, indicating Roy, who was trying his best to look passive.

Anderson-san smiled. "Ah! And who might this be?"

"He's dad's new alchemy student."

Anderson-san walked over and extended his hand to Roy. "Nice to meet you. And your name would be…?"

"Roy Mustang."

"Mustang…? The name rings a bell. Well, I'm an old man; my mind's like a sieve. Anyways, what can I do for you two young ones?"

"We need some sawdust, 20 feet of copper wire, steel plates, and some nails."

"Of course, Riza, follow me, please."

The two trailed along behind the man as he paraded them around the store giving them everything that they needed. He carried everything for them as well, and when they had finally achieved their goal in the hardware store, he rung them up. "Seven hundred and two cens, please." He said. Riza handed him the bills and he returned her the change, which she stuck into her pocket. He handed the bags to Roy, who slung them over his shoulder and groaned at the weight,

"Are you sure you don't want to rent a cart to take that home, Riza?" Anderson called as she walked out the door.

"No, thank you, Mr. Anderson, we'll manage!" She called as she held the door for a straining Roy. And with that they were gone. Anderson-san watched them leave, and then returned to his work in the store. "Children," He chuckled under his breath.

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"All right, where to next?" Said Riza, surveying the area around them. Roy stood next to her, panting. "I thought we needed apples," He breathed.

"Oh yeah," Riza said, a look of realization dawning on her face. "Right, we'll go to Mrs. Cayden's stall. She always has the best apples. Come on!" She shouted, and pushed him ahead.

"Will you cut it out? I can move by myself, you know!"

"Well, you weren't doing a very good job. Hurry up, I want to go home."

Roy complied, although somewhat unwillingly. He eventually went from carrying the bag on his shoulders to dragging it behind him on the ground. They reached the apple stand, and Riza greeted the old woman who sat there, unfortunately, she was somewhat deaf.

"Hi, Mrs. Cayden," She said politely.

"What?"

"I said hello."

"Ah, Riza-chan, hello, how are you today?"

"Fine, thanks, I need a dozen apples."

"What?"

"A dozen apples,"

"Oh, ok. That will be one hundred and fifty-four cens, please."

"Here's a two hundred note."

"A blue hounded foot? Speak up, dear, I can't hear you."

"A two hundred note," Riza said slightly louder. The old woman nodded, handed her the change and the apples. "Take care dear!" She called as she watched them walk away.

Riza led Roy back around the town until they reached a small café. She set down the apples on a table and motioned for Roy to do the same.

"Since we have money left over, why don't we have lunch? I'm really hungry."

Roy shrugged, and set down the package from the hardware store, and sat across from her. A woman noticed them sitting down and walked up to the table.

"Can I help you two?" She asked politely.

Roy opened his mouth, but Riza beat him to it. "Can I have an iced tea and a salad please? Any dressing is ok,"

"Sure thing," The woman said. "And you sir?"

"Um, I guess I'll save a ham and cheese sandwich."

"You want anything to drink?"

"Water, I guess."

The woman smiled and went to get their food.

"Can't you be more polite?" Riza berated him. "You could have said please at least. Boys are so rude."

"Well sorry, your highness." Roy said sarcastically. "You're the one who wanted to stop and get something to eat, you know."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Well excuse me for being nice."

"You're excused."

She glared at him, and would have proceeded with a retort, but at that moment the waitress came with their drinks, so instead, she took her iced tea and sipped on it while continuing to glare. He sipped his water as well.

So passed the meal. Sip, glare, bite, and glare.

When she had finished eating, Riza stood up and began to walk away, leaving Roy still sitting there. He scrambled up from his seat and ran after her, throwing a string of curses after her.

The walk home was about as uneventful as the first. Roy tried to move as fast as an almost-eleven-year-old with two giant bags of construction supplies could move. Riza walked ahead of him as all she had only to carry the apples. The walk took longer than the walk there had been, but that was to be expected since the children had about fifty more pounds to carry home with them.

When they finally reached the house, Riza dropped her apples off in the kitchen and ran up to her room. Roy dragged the bags in and set them outside Mr. Hawkeye's study. He knocked on the door, and his sensei opened the door.

"Ah, Roy, come in, come in. I see you got everything, good."

Roy carefully stepped inside to the study. The room was small, and books lined the walls. In the far left hand corner there was a desk covered in papers. There were transmutation circles scribbled all over the papers that were almost everywhere in the office. Although messy, it was extremely cozy; a perfect environment for studying.

"Do you like it?"

Roy nodded.

"Well, yours will be similar to this, then. By the way, Roy, your paper was due today. Do you have it ready?"

"Yes, sensei." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper that was folded a few times over and handed it to Mr. Hawkeye, who took it. He opened it, and began to read it over. Roy silently stood there, awaiting judgment. Mr. Hawkeye finally set the paper down, and looked at him. "It's good, no doubt." He said. Roy smiled brightly. "You have a good mind, Roy. I can tell you have put effort into it since our talk two nights ago. You have improved."

Roy smiled even brighter. "Can we go on to my next assignment, then, sensei?"

Mr. Hawkeye nodded, smiling. "Very well." He walked over to his shelf and pulled off two large books. Roy watched excitedly, but his heart dropped when he saw the titles. _Terms and Definitions Relating to Equivalent Trade _and_ Equivalent Exchange: The Basis on Which Alchemy is Built._ Roy's mouth hung open. "S-sir," He stammered. "I thought that-that we'd be able to study actual transmutation now that I finished-"

"Brilliant and impatient, like your father said. Do you remember nothing that I said Roy? With out equivalent exchange, nothing is possible. Read those in one week, and I expect another paper. Take notes as well."

Roy dropped his head as he accepted the books from his teacher and trudged up the stairs.

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When he reached the top, he noticed the door to Riza's room was closed. Once again, there was banging and rustling heard. He walked into his room, set the books on the bed, and went over and slowly opened the door.

Riza was standing there, frog in one hand, a slab of glass in the other. She looked at him. "Didn't I tell you to knock last time?" She said, disapprovingly.

"Sorry," He said quickly. "I can't believe you still have that."

"Well, I like him."

Roy scanned her room. On her desk was an aquarium filled with some creek water and plants. There were a few sticks in there as well, and crickets sat in it also.

"Did you make that for him?" He asked, amused.

"Yeah. But the lid is too small, and he keeps getting out," She said, holding up the glass slab.

"Let me see it."

"Why?"

"Just give it."

She handed over the glass to him, and he sat down on the floor. "How big is the top of the container?"

"24 centimeters by 14 centimeters," She said slowly.

Roy nodded, and drew a piece of chalk from his pocket and drew a circle on the floor. He carefully then drew some patterns in it and other geometrical shapes. Carefully setting the glass panel down on it, he took his palms and pressed them to the circle. A blue light shined throughout the room. The moment it faded, Roy picked up the glass slab, now slightly thinner, but longer and handed it to her. She watched all this with quiet anticipation.

"See, you dumb girl? Alchemy isn't so stupid after all."

She set the frog back into the aquarium and put the panel on top. It fit perfectly.

"Thank you," She said quietly.

He shrugged, and walked out the door back to his own room.

-----------------------------------------------

He had been reading for an hour now. It was even worse than the first one. All this was was some stupid definitions of angles and other boring stuff on equivalent trade. He sighed loudly.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," He said.

Riza entered, once again carrying a glass of milk and cookies. She had done this last night too.

"Here, from my dad," She said, walking forward. Unfortunately, Roy had left the other large book he had received from his sensei right in the middle of the floor. Riza stumbled over it, causing the milk to slip off the tray and shattered the glass. Milk sprayed all over the room. Riza's eyes widened, and she set the tray down on the desk and began to pick up the broken glass.

Roy watched her for a minute, and then said, "Here, give them to me, I'll fix it."

She nodded, handed him the fragments and ran to go get some towels.

When she reentered, Roy was sitting on the floor and about to press his hands to the circle he had drawn. "Stop!" She called, and rushed over to his side.

"What?" He asked, wondering what in the world was up with this girl.

"See?" She said, pointing at a line that dissected the circle. "You don't want it to connect there, it has to be only a third of the way to the center."

Roy looked at her, then at his circle. He traced a finger over the line he had drawn to erase it, and then re drew it as she had said.

"Like that?"

She nodded. He pressed his palms to the circle once more, and when the light faded, the glass was there, as good as new.

"See? If you had kept the line there, the glass would still have been cracked," She said matter-of-factly."

He nodded, took the towels from her, and proceeded to clean up the milk on the floor. Riza walked from the room, but before she left said, "Oh! And thank you, for earlier. I mean, fixing the lid."

He nodded. She began to close the door.

"Hey, you!" He called. She opened the door.

"What?"

"Um, thanks for the tip. And the cookies."

She smiled. "No problem," And closed the door.

Roy leaned over and took a bite of a cookie. You know? He thought to himself. Maybe she's not so bad after all. For a girl, at least.

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A/N Whoot! Chapter 3!

A big thanks to:

Commander Zucchini , Pharaohs Queen , SnakeCharmerFoxx , momiji-k , Pudles24 , Shadow Dreamer 27 , gun-alchemist01 , inuyasha's lil sister , TearShield Alchemist , loyalsoul , Anicka , Anya-06

Thanks for all your praise! 18 reviews already! Please continue to review! I'll update soon!


	4. At Night

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Chapter IV: At Night

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It had been a week now. An entire week staying at his teacher's house. He had to admit; it wasn't as bad as he had thought it would be, living with this girl. She didn't get on his nerves so much anymore. At least she didn't go around asking him to tea parties or anything gross like that.

To tell the truth, he actually looked forward to hearing her coming up the stairs at night, because that meant there would be cookies. Mr. Hawkeye always sent her up with cookies and milk after dinner while he was studying. At least that was one thing girls were good for. Bringing up cookies.

He had finished the book on equivalent exchange definitions and had moved on to the second one. This one, if at all possible, was worse. Probably because it was written in Latin. He didn't know Latin! Probably because he was only twelve. And yet Mr. Hawkeye still expected him to finish that book in a week. Riza had given him a Latin-English dictionary, but it was still so boring! At least this book had pictures of transmutation circles in it that took up a good five hundred pages, but he also had to memorize them. All of them looked the same to him, but of course there was something different about each one. Where the lines connected, the distances between shapes. It went on and on… but at least they were pictures, not Latin.

He looked at the clock on the wall. 7:30. Great, another day almost gone. Less time to finish this stupid stuff and write a paper. He turned the page. Hooray, more Latin. He groaned and banged his head on the table.

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Riza heard a loud bang echo from upstairs as she helped her father wash the dishes. At first she thought that the frog had escaped once again and was wreaking havoc in her room, but then she realized that it was coming from Roy's room.

"Don't you think you're being just a little bit hard on him, father?" She asked. "I mean, he's only a little older than me."

"You knew all that stuff a while ago."

"Only because you read it to me as bedtime stories when I was five. Mom always yelled at you for that. And I forgot it all, anyways. Who wants to know stupid stuff like that?"

Her father remained silent and began to scrub a particularly stubborn stain off of one of the plates.

"Why don't you just use alchemy?" Riza asked quietly. "You could get it done a lot faster."

"We can't be dependant on alchemy for everything, Riza. Normal people clean their dishes like this everyday."

"Yeah, but if you used alchemy, then I could go play sooner."

Another bang and a curse word that was normally not used by twelve-year-olds echoed in the house.

"When are you going to build him his own study? I have to hear that every night and I can't sleep."

"When he gives me that report I assigned him."

"I think you're being to hard, father," Riza reiterated. "You weren't this hard on the other students you had."

"I'm surprised you remember them. I kicked a lot of them out pretty quickly. Roy has caliber. They were idiots looking for power. Therefore, since I'm serious about teaching Roy alchemy, he deserves more work."

"Yeah, but all those other guys were old and wrinkly; Roy's only a few years older than me."

Mr. Hawkeye reached over and ruffled his daughter's hair. "Maybe you're right." He pushed her gently away. "Go on, take those cookies up to him," He said. Riza nodded and picked up the prepared tray and walked carefully up the stairs.

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She walked into his room quietly. He knew she always came, so she never knocked. She found him, his head slammed onto his desk, small moaning noises coming from him. She set the cookies and milk down and walked from the room. Normally he would have just let her go and start on the cookies and milk, but when he looked at her, something was really… weird.

"Are you wearing a skirt and blouse?" he asked incredulously. She turned and looked down at herself. "Oh, yeah, I guess I forgot. Today was 'take your daughter to work day' or something, and so grandpa took me to Eastern Headquarters and he made me wear this. I guess I just forgot to change."

"You look like an actual girl. For once."

"Oh, please, just go back to studying."

"Ugh… don't say that. I hate this. Work sucks."

"Well, you're gonna have to do it when you get a job you know."

"Yeah right, no one's gonna make me unless they hold me a gun point. I'm gonna be everyone's boss where I work, and no one will be able to make me do anything."

He was silent as something whizzed inches from his nose. He looked over at Riza who had apparently pulled out her slingshot and shot a pebble at him. He looked at her, eyes wide. "What was that?"

"You really should stay on task. Dad's kicked out plenty of students before you, you know."

"But this stuff is so boring!" He whined.

"Let me see it."

He handed her the book and she started to read it over. She looked at him. "Do you have any paper?"

He nodded.

"Then take notes."

"What?"

"Take notes. I'll read you the stuff translated, and you take the notes."

"And why are you doing this?"

"Because if I don't, you'll probably be staying up late pounding your head on the table and I won't be able to sleep."

He nodded, somewhat dumbfounded.

"Roy, Riza! Come down here for a minute, please."

The two children scrambled up from the table and ran down the stairs. Roy tried to beat her to the stairs, but she tripped him and fell down the stairs while she leapt nimbly over him. She ran up to her father, who had arranged all the materials that the children had bought three days ago on the floor in front of him, along with a few other things that had already been available.

Roy walked over too; hand on his head, covering a bruise. He groaned seeing the pile of stuff. "Do we have to clean that up? Because it wasn't me."

Mr. Hawkeye shook his head. "No, Roy, this is your study."

Roy raised an eyebrow, and then said "Oh."

Riza looked at her father. "You're gonna make his study! Thank you! Now I don't have to help him study!"

Roy and her father looked at her awkwardly, but they both soon recovered. Mr. Hawkeye turned to face the pile of supply. "Roy," He said. "Watch."

Roy turned obediently to watch his teacher. Mr. Hawkeye bent down and pressed his palms to the transmutation circle. Instantly, a blue light filled the room as the supplies fused together, sawdust compressing into oak planks, wires infusing into the wood and creating an electrical circuit. The room grew larger and moved apart to accommodate the new space. A marble topped desk rose out of the floor, and bookshelves began to line the walls.

Roy's mouth flew open. This was amazing! Everything fit perfectly; the walls were perfect, the room was neat, and there was no sign of the pile of rubble. "Holy-- wow!" He exclaimed, running around the study extremely excited. He examined the bookshelves, and ran his hand over the marble. "Thank you so much, Mr. Hawkeye!" He exclaimed.

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Riza buried her head into the pillow. The sound of rain outside was somewhat calming, but the sound of the thunder was driving her crazy. She hated thunder. She couldn't sleep.

She rolled over again. And again. All right, she'd had it. With determination that was only characteristic of an eight year old, she marched down the hall to her dad's room. She gently pushed the door open. "Daddy?" She asked, in the sweetest voice she could muster. As she approached the bedside, she noticed there was no one there. "Ugh," she moaned. A clap of thunder sounded. She let out a small scream and covered her ears. She slipped out of the room and snuck downstairs to see if her father was in his study.

She opened the oak door and looked inside. Nothing, only darkness. Of course her father had chosen to leave tonight. He often went out at night. Riza was used to it, but he only seemed to be gone at the most inconvenient of times.

So, here she was, in her house, the rain was pouring the thunder was sounding, and she was completely alone. No, wait, a small voice said. Roy lives here now. She snapped up straight. How dare the little voice even suggest such an idea? There was absolutely no way she would go into his room and ask to stay there until the storm passed. Nope, wasn't going to happen. He was a boy, for goodness sake. He'd probably call her stupid for being scared of thunder anyhow.

Lightning flashed, and she covered her ears in anticipation of the loud noise. She ran up the stairs. Ok, she would only ask him where her dad was, that's it. Yeah, that's it.

She slid open his door, and quietly stepped into his room. "Hey, are you awake?" She asked quietly. Roy sat up. "What? What do you want?"

"Do you know where Dad is?" She said softly.

"You know, I'm already awake, you stupid girl. You don't have to whisper. And he told me he had to go out and get some supplies for some experiment or something, now go away."

She glared at him, but began to walk away. At that moment, another peal of thunder sounded. She shrieked, and covered her ears. Roy snickered. "Your scared of thunder?" He asked, smiling.

"It bothers me, ok?"

"Why?"

"It sounds too much like gunshots," She said softly.

" I thought your grandfather was in the military," He said, rubbing his eyes. "Aren't used to stuff like that?"

"I… I want to join the military to help grandpa, just… I'm scared I'll have to kill someone. That's what thunder reminds me of."

"So, thunder makes you afraid you'll have to kill someone." She nodded. He laughed. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

He was silenced by a pebble that lodged itself between his eyes. He rubbed his forehead. "You don't seem to have much of a problem with hurting people," He said.

She lowered her slingshot. "It was your own fault. Forget this, I'm going back to my own room."

"Wait," He said. "You can stay, if you want." He said softly.

She turned. "What?"

"I used to be scared of lightning," He said. "I stayed in my sister's room when I was scared, so, I guess you can stay until it's over."

"Oh." She sat on the floor and wrapped her shirt around her legs. "Thanks," She said softly.

Roy lay back down and looked at the ceiling. "Stupid girl," He muttered.

--------------------------------------------

Riza's eyelids fluttered open. She was sitting on the floor beside Roy's bed, and the night was quiet. Roy was asleep, snoring softly.

She had a vague recollection of coming in here to escape the storm and falling asleep on his floor. She stood up and slipped quietly back into her own room, closing the door silently.

She curled up into her own blankets and closed the door, listening to the soft patter of the rain left over from the dying storm. You know, he's not so bad, she thought to herself. For a boy, at least.

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A/N- Whew… that took longer than I expected. Oh well, I like this chapter, it's cute. Sorry for those who wanted Riza to do alchemy here, but I don't like giving powers to characters that aren't explicitly stated. It only implies that Riza has some knowledge of alchemy, not that she can actually do it, so I decided not to include it. Now for the thank yous!

Commander Zucchini , Pharaohs Queen , SnakeCharmerFoxx , momiji-k , Pudles24 , Shadow Dreamer 27 , gun-alchemist01 , inuyasha's lil sister , TearShieldAlchemist , loyalsoul , Anicka , Anya-06 , Aemi K , daqiao154

And anyone else I might have forgotten, sorry if that's the case. Please review! I heart reviews!


	5. The Instructor

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Chapter V: The Instructor

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_Dear Roy-_

_I'm sorry we haven't written to you earlier, things have been quite a bit hectic around here. Tae is engaged! Her boyfriend, the one she has been seeing for two years now, proposed to her a few days after you left. We've been so busy with the preparations; it completely slipped our minds to write to you!_

_I hope your study is going well. It hasn't been the same around here without you requesting all those books and drawing those alchemy circles all over the place. The small things you've transmuted for us though are all still here._

_Your father has been telling every one of his friends how proud he is that you are studying with such a prominent teacher. I hope you are as proud as we are of your accomplishment. One day, you may be so good as to be able to become a state alchemist, now wouldn't that be exciting?_

_I've heard that Mr. Hawkeye's daughter is about your age. I hope you are treating her well, I know that you are a bit rude sometimes. You show your good nature and be a gentleman, understand?_

_I miss you here. All your sisters are never home, especially Tae, she's been out much more often with her boyfriend. I miss holding you at night and I wish that you were here. I hope you'll be able to come home for a visit soon._

_XOXOXOXO-_

_Mom_

_PS: I've sent you some of the chocolates that I bought at your favorite candy store, the ones you always beg me for. I hope you enjoy them and think of me when you eat them._

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Roy read and reread the letter over and over again. He was sitting in his study late at night when his teacher had brought it to him along with a small package that he assumed must be the chocolates his mother had mentioned in the letter.

He hugged the letter close to him, leaned forward in his chair, rested his head on his desk, and sighed. He hadn't really felt homesick until now. Mr. Hawkeye was very good to him, apart from his rigorous teaching and homework he assigned the boy, and he was even beginning to tolerate Riza.

He hated to admit, (I mean, what self respecting boy would?) but he _did_ miss his mother.

"Hey,"

A voice broke his thoughts. He tried to ignore it and kept his eyes closed.

"Hey!"

He buried his head deep into his arms.

"Hey, you stupid idiot, I'm talking to you."

Just ignore her; maybe she'll go away.

_WHAP_. Or maybe not. Roy reached up and rubbed the spot on his head where she had ruthlessly berated him with a rock from her slingshot.

"What?" He groaned.

'Dad told me to bring you these," She said, dropping two enormous books on his desk. Roy groaned loudly. "Don't tell me-"

"Yeah, it's more on equivalent trade."

Roy moaned and slammed his head onto the desk. "But this is the seventh book on that since I've started," He whined. "I've been here for a month, and all I've done is read! I haven't even been allowed to practice alchemy or draw arrays…" He took the smaller of the two books and opened it onto his desk. It looked to be the same as the other ones, all defining and explaining down to the last detail the purposes and uses of basic equivalent trade. There were some arrays drawn into the book, but they were simple, things Roy had known for years now.

"Dad says you'll probably be studying this sort of stuff for the first year before you move on to transmutation." Riza said, looking over his shoulder at the book. He looked back at her, and his mouth hung open. "For the first _year?_" He asked, clearly stupefied by this latest development. An entire year? He'd be old by then!

"Don't look so upset," She said, suppressing the urge to laugh at his expression. "He also says these are the last books he'll force you to read. Eventually, he'll be teaching you personally, just he wants you to have the background knowledge. I think that means you'll be writing more papers." She patted him on the back. "Have fun," She smiled. He just growled and pushed the books away. As he did that, something else fell off of his desk. Riza bent down to retrieve it.

"What's this?" She asked as she looked at.

Roy's eyes widened and he snatched it from her. "It's nothing important, go away, it has nothing to do with you!" He said, stomping his foot in the ground for emphasis.

She put her hands on her hips. "Why can't I know?"

"Because, it's not like a stupid girl would understand it. It's top secret, no looking," He said, shoving the letter into his pocket.

She folded her arms. "Jeesh," She grumbled. "See if I bring you cookies and milk tonight," She said scowling, and stormed from the room.

A look of realization dawned in his eyes. "Hey, wait! Are you gonna make me get my own stuff while I study? Come on, you stupid girl, I thought your dad wanted you to be nice to me!"

-------------------------------

Riza sighed as she walked up the front steps to the house. She had just gotten back from the first day of school for the year, and she was pretty exhausted. After a three month summer break hand having nothing to do in the past month but watch frogs and annoy Roy, school was pretty rough.

"Geez." She sighed as she set her backpack down on the ground. "Dad, I'm home!" She called out. No answer. "Dad?" She called again, running into the kitchen. No one was there. She walked into the main room and peered into his study. Nothing. She walked over to the other side of the house and stuck her head into Roy's study. "Hey, have you seen dad?" She asked the boy who had his head bent over some paperwork. "He went into town to get some food," He grumbled.

Riza walked over and stood behind his desk. "What are you working on now?" She asked, trying to read the book that was lying open. "How far are you in the book I gave you yesterday?"

"Page five," he mumbled, still not turning around.

"Really," She said, slapping her forehead. "If it weren't for me you wouldn't get any work done at all. What did you do all day while I was gone?"

"Tried to read."

"And failed, right?"

"Hey," He said turning around to face her. "You're not the one who-"

He stopped in mid sentence and looked her over. His face turned beet red, and he burst out laughing. Riza pouted. "What are you laughing at?" She demanded, her voice laced with poison that would more than likely have stricken fear into any boy near by. Roy tried his best to contain himself, but just pointed at her. She looked down at herself. "What?" She demanded again, not seeing anything unusual about her appearance. Roy laughed again. "Y-your-- haha! Your cl-clothes!" He managed to choke out.

Riza looked at herself again. "You think my school uniform is funny?"

Roy nodded with tears in his eyes. Somehow seeing the annoying tomboy who caught frogs and went fishing now dressed in a green plaid skirt with knee high socks, a white blouse with an emblem on the chest pocket, and a headband that held her short hair in place was too much for him to handle. His gleeful mirth was silenced however when Riza decided that I was annoying her slapped him, knocking out of his chair.

"Really." She said walking out the door. "You are such a freak."

She was about to turn around when she noticed that something had fallen onto the desk when she had knocked Roy out of his seat. It was a plain white piece of paper, folded into thirds. The handwriting on it was neat and feminine, and Riza didn't recognize it. She realized that it was the letter he had been so against her reading yesterday. She reached to pick it up, and looked at it carefully before beginning to unfold it. She slowly lifted up the flap. At that moment, Roy sprang up from on the ground and snatched it from her. "Hey! I told you yesterday you can't see it! Go away!"

"Why can't I see it? What's so special about it?"

"N-nothing! It's just something you can't see! Go away?" Riza reached over and deftly snatched the paper. "I wanna see it!"

He snatched it back. "No!"

"Why, is it from a _girlfriend?_"

"What? No way! Eww!"

"Then who is it from?"

"I'm not telling! Go away!"

This went on for a few minutes, both children tackling each other to try to get a look at the note, until the door to Roy's study swung open and Mr. Hawkeye stood there, looking rather upset. "Riza! Roy! Stop it this instant!"

Roy and Riza froze, and it was a rather awkward position. Roy was on the floor with Riza's foot on his chest pinning him there while she held high the letter. Roy meanwhile, was left with a full view up Riza's skirt. Both realizing the dilemma, Roy shielded his eyes while Riza proceeded to kick him in the face and jump away from him.

"Gross," Both sighed at once.

"Both of you stop it." Mr. Hawkeye scolded. Both turned to face him immediately, Roy sporting a large bruise beneath his right eye, Riza having her hair messed up and her headband snapped in two. Mr. Hawkeye groaned as he looked the both of them over. "My goodness, you two, I leave the house for an hour and I come home to find this?" He exclaimed.

"Sorry, daddy," Riza said.

"Sorry, sir," Roy added.

Mr. Hawkeye grimaced, then sighed. "Well, I guess it can't be helped. Both of you go wash up for dinner."

"Yes!" They said in unison, taking off for the stairs, both racing for dominance of the bathroom. Mr. Hawkeye smiled brightly as he watched them go. "Now, what will I do with them?"

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"What?" Riza exclaimed as she sat down at the dinner table, fork in hand, prepared to dig into the array of food before her. "You're doing what, dad?"

"That's not fair," Roy added in, looking very much disgruntled at the mere proposal that Mr. Hawkeye had made. "I can understand it, but, still, why does _she_ have to do it?"

"Hey, I have just as much right as you do," Riza growled.

Mr. Hawkeye grimaced as he looked at them. "Riza, you've asked me to do this before, I thought you would want to do something like this."

"Well, yeah, I guess…"

"And Roy, you obviously have too much energy to be cooped up in the house all day."

"Maybe…"

"Well then, why not?"

"Well, because-"

"Because-"

The two looked at each other, both unable to come up with a good reply for the man. "Because… I don't know," Riza finished lamely. "I guess it's a good idea."

"You give up to easily," Roy snapped.

"Shut up, I do not. I always wanted to do this anyways."

"Then why were you arguing in the first place?"

"Cause I didn't want to do it with _you-_"

Mr. Hawkeye slammed his fist on the table. "Both of you, be quiet, or so help me I will lock you both in the attic for the rest of the night!" This snapped the two children back to attention. They looked with astonishment at the man, and then at the other. "Both of us at the same time?" They whispered in unison. "Yes," Mr. Hawkeye said sternly.

"Eww!" The two exclaimed.

Another slamming of a utensil onto the table made them quiet down. "Anyways, you two, you'll be starting tomorrow.

"Who is going to be the instructor, dad?"

"I've found a man from a very prominent family. His family has been in the military for generations, and he is especially skilled in what he will be teaching you. He himself is in the military academy. Your grandfather recommended him especially, Riza."

"I thought you hated the military."

"I have nothing against the people there, only the organization."

Roy spoke up. "Is he some old guy?"

"No, in fact, I believe he is only five years older than you, Roy."

"Is he qualified?" Roy asked skeptically.

Mr. Hawkeye chuckled. "Oh, you'll find out soon enough…"

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Roy followed sullenly behind Riza as the two made their way to the park in the center of the town. "Hey, Riza," Roy asked.

"What?"

"So why did your dad sign us up for hand-to-hand combat lessons again?"

"I asked him to let me take karate a while ago, and I heard you have to be strong in body to do alchemy, anyways. Dad trained with someone when he was learning."

"Why do you want to do this? Aren't you enough like a boy already?" Riza shot him a glare over her shoulder that shut him up.

"I'm gonna join the military like my mom and my grandpa, so I have to be strong, right?"

"I thought your dad hated the military."

"He doesn't know yet."

"Oh." The two continued in silence for the rest of the walk. The park was somewhat close to the house, so it didn't take the two kids a long time to teach their destination. They walked along the path in the park until the reached the field that Mr. Hawkeye had told them to wait at. Riza sat down on the grass and threw her feet out before her. "If he's in the military, he shouldn't be late." She said.

Roy sat down beside her. "Yeah, but if he's seventeen, he's probably really immature and irresponsible.

"Ah! You have arrived! Greeting, children!" A voice boomed from behind the two. The children's hair stood on end as they jumped around to face the young man who had addressed them so ceremoniously. He was extremely tall, and he dwarfed the two easily. He looked young, but he was fully sculpted as an adult. His white shirt that covered his body depicted every single bit of the young man's muscle perfection. His eyes were a brilliant blue, and on his head was a full covering of thick blond hair. He looked to have the beginning of a mustache. His arms were crossed, and his gaze was imposing. But none of this was what disturbed the children the most.

"Hey," Riza leaned over to ask Roy. "What's with the sparkles?"

The man walked over and embraced the children in what could only be described as the jaws of death. Roy and Riza were shoved into the man's chest and both struggled for breath. "Sir!" Riza gasped trying to escape the man's grasp. "Could you please let us go?" She managed to squeak out.

"Forgive me, young lady," He said, setting her down carefully, while dumping Roy onto the ground unceremoniously. "I am your instructor in combat! He declared, while switching poses every five seconds. "Look at this perfection!" He cried. "Soon, you too will have such beauty as this! I can tell you are excited," He said, mistaking the look of horror and disgust on the children's faces for one of awe and astonishment. Riza shook her head and found her voice. "Um excuse me, Mr. Instructor, sir, but um, what should we call you?"

"My name is Alex Louis Armstrong!" The man said in a shower of sparkles. "But you two will address me as Private Armstrong!"

"Yes sir," Riza said, attempting to snap to attention. She elbowed Roy who had just gotten to his feet after being thrown to the ground by the shimmering bear of a teenager. "What?" He asked. "Oh, yes sir." He said, seeing the man looking at him.

"Very well," Armstrong replied. "Now, let us begin!" With that, he rushed head first at Roy, who stared at him in astonishment as he collided with the boy. Roy was thrown back into the dirt a good fifteen feet, and lay there for a second, groaning. Riza stared at him, but quickly snapped out of it as she noticed the sparkling herald of death rushing at her as well. She jumped aside, barely managing to dodge him, and turned to kick him as he passed by. Honestly, she thought later, she might as well have been kicking a mountain. "Ow!" She exclaimed as her foot collided with the man. He quickly turned around, grabbed her, and threw her in the same direction as he had thrown Roy. She skidded along the dirt. She looked up to find Roy throwing himself at the man and landing on his shoulders. It looked like he was attempting to tame a wild boar. Armstrong merely turned his head and Roy was thrown off in a messy heap. Riza stood up, panting and turned to Roy who had landed next to her. She offered him her hand and yanked him up off the ground. They nodded silently, putting aside their differences for the moment in order to fight off the giant sparkling teddy bear that become their enemy. Both yelling, they charged at him.

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"Ow…." Roy groaned, walking home an hour later. Both the children were exhausted, covered in sweat and bruises and both emotionally injured. They trudged along silently, both just barely raising their eyes from the road in front of them.

"I can't believe we didn't even scrape him," Riza said sullenly.

"I know," Roy muttered. "It didn't even phase him when I threw that rock at his head."

"You shouldn't have done that, you know. It's supposed to be _hand-to-hand_ combat, not 'lets all throw rocks at people'," Riza grumbled.

"Hey, he's a soldier, right? Soldiers are supposed to use all materials available to them in combat, so why not? I only wished I'd had time to draw a circle, he woulda been sorry then."

"What would you have made, a club? He would have snapped it like a twig."

Roy sighed. "You're probably right,"

They walked up the steps to the front door. Riza pushed it open and walked inside, kicking off her shoes. Roy did the same.

"Dad, we're home!" Riza called with a hint of bitterness in her voice. Mr. Hawkeye appeared from the kitchen, wiping off a dish. "There's leftovers on the stove, you two. You can have some after you bathe," He said, noting that the children were covered in dirt. "Then you two can tell me about how training with Armstrong-san went."

At the mention of the name, both children glared viciously at Mr. Hawkeye with a malice and evil that would have sent Mr. Hawkeye up a tree had there been any in the house. Both then turned and climbed the stairs to the shower, neither in the mood for racing since they knew they could lay down while they waited for the other to finish.

"Hey, Riza," Roy grumbled as they marched up the steps.

"Huh?" She asked, all malice and anger toward him because of letter incident forgotten.

"I think we should stop listening to your dad's ideas from now on."

Riza nodded. "I'm with you."

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Muahahaha! I'm so evil to poor Roy and Riza…Hope you guys enjoyed this one, it was a lot of fun to write.

Whoohoo, 58 reviews in four chapters, I think I got twenty for last chapter alone. Let's see if we can break that record, k?

Thank-yous:

Suki dah Turdle , Greecian-Gurl , pin0ts , sherrie123456789 , daiqiao154 , Commander Zucchini , windxalchemist , Puddles24 , illusionist.sonata , Shadow Dreamer 27 , Anicka , gun-alchemist01 , momiji-k , loyalsoul , Pharaohs Queen , Anya-06 , SnufflesWillRise , inuyasha's lil sister , Tressa , -EFC- , Trigunsfangirl

And a very very big thank you goes to Locked. Loaded. and Waiting for you're reviews! Thanks for the support!

Till next time! I love reviews! (and you get your name posted. It's cool, right?)


	6. Some Progress

It was nice out today. The sun was bright, and all seemed right in the world. Since it was fall, the trees were beginning to turn shades of gold and orange. The whole street was bathed in a shimmering golden light. Everything about today had been perfect, Riza thought as she marched down her street on the way back from school. There was nothing to worry about; her teachers had assigned almost no homework since it was the weekend. The only thing she could think of to worry about when she got home was making sure that Roy was actually working. Her father had told her that he was going to begin teaching Roy personally very soon as long as he kept up the effort that he had been showing. Riza was actually beginning to feel protective of him, sort of like an older brother, especially since their plight with Private Armstrong. They were supposed to train with him once a week, and the children had something to dread together, which brought them closer as allies.

Riza pushed an errant bang that had escaped the clutch of her headband back behind her ear. Of course, she still didn't enjoy Roy's company all the time. He was, as of now, a brotherly figure, and as such, got on her nerves quite often.

She walked up the steps of her house quietly, as she always did, swung open the door, and began to announce her arrival. "Chichi-ue," She called. "I'm ho-oof!" She cried as she was thrown off her feet by Roy, who had tackled her as soon as she had began to call out. Needless to say, she was startled, and struggled to throw the intruder off of her. He clasped one hand over her mouth as she struggled. "Shh!" He pleaded with her. "Quiet, you dumb girl! Quiet!"

She threw him off of her. "Why?" She whispered loudly.

"Because!" He whispered back. "We're supposed to go train with Private Armstrong today, stupid!" Riza's eyes widened in remembrance. "And," Roy continued, "I really, _really_ don't want to go, I'm still sore from the first time, and the time after that was the same, so its worse, and last week was just plain awful!' He whispered with as much emotion as he dared. "Your dad won't notice if we leave by our selves, but if we told him we were leaving, he'd want to walk with us. I think we should leave now and do something else."

Riza was about to protest when suddenly her father's voice called across the hall. "Riza? Are you home?"

Roy immediately pushed her out the still open door and pushed her to go hide the sycamore tree on the side of the house. She uneasily complied, to startled to do anything else. From the corner of her eye, she saw her father stick his head out from the side of the house. "Roy?" He called. "They must have gone off to their lesson…" He mumbled and stuck his head back inside.

Roy uncovered Riza's mouth, and she turned and slapped him. "What in the world was that for! You shouldn't have done it!"

His face reddened. "I thought you hated going to those lessons with him!"

"I don't hate them, and besides, they're good for us! I've gotten loads stronger in just three weeks, look," She said. She dropped to the ground and proceeded to kick him off his feet, knocking him flat on his back. He stared at her with surprise. "Why don't you ever do that to him then? And you've ben practicing extra, haven't you?"

"Because doing that to him would be like doing it to this tree," She said, resting her hand on the bark. "And what's wrong with me practicing while you're in there doing alchemy stuff?"

"Because it's not fair! You'd get to far ahead!"

"Which is why we should go. You need to get better."

She began to walk away, but he called out to her. "Hey, Riza!" She turned. "What? She snapped. "I'm going to go, and if you don't come, I'll-"

"Wait, wait, how about, if we fight, here, in your yard. If you win, then you're right, I need more training and we'll go. If I win, we go back into the field until our lesson is normally over, and then come back.

"Dad will be able to tell." She said.

"We'll roll around in the dirt a lot, or something. I've still got bruises, so it won't matter."

She sighed. He looked at her and gave her the saddest eyes a young boy could conjure. She slapped her forehead. "Alright! Fine. But I'm not going easy on you."

"I wouldn't expect you to. When have you ever gone easy to me since I've lived here?"

She smiled. "Then it will come to no surprise to you when I beat you. Then you'll have my bruises and Private Armstrong's."

"Ok, then. Let's go."

"Wait a minute, Roy."

"What?"

"This is a hand to hand combat fight. No alchemy, no throwing rocks."

"I'm not that low that I'd throw rocks at a girl."

"Ok, then. I'm glad we're understood. Let's go."

The two walked out to the center of the field in the back yard. The grass was longer now, the highest blades coming up to the children's waists. "You go over there," Riza said, pointing. Roy walked over and stood to face her. "You ready?"

"More than you will ever be." She said, smiling.

"Alright then. Let's go!" And with that he rushed at her, fist raised. She side stepped him easily, then held out her leg to trip him. He dodged, and turned around and swung his fist at her head. She ducked, reached down and pulled up his leg, causing him to fall over. He coughed a little as he hit the ground, but then swung his leg out and kicked at her feet, sending her down as well. "You ready to give up?" He said, standing up and wiping his mouth. She looked up at him and smiled. "Not on your life," She said. With that she jumped up and threw a fist at him. He caught it in his hands and threw her away from him. At the last moment, she turned and caught her elbow in his back. He gasped, and then turned around to kick her. She ducked, and dropkicked him off of his feet, much like she had done back at the sycamore tree. Once again he landed on his back.

She turned and smiled down at him. "You lose," She said, satisfied. He glared at her. "Not yet!" He growled. Quicker than she would have expected, he jumped up off the ground, and leapt at her. He wrapped himself around her, and threw himself onto the ground, pinning her beneath him. Needless to say, she was a bit surprised at his last minute attempt at tackling her, so it took her a moment before she regained her composure and lifted her leg and kneed him in the stomach. He groaned and rolled off of her and lay there clutching his stomach. "Dang," He muttered.

She stood up and looked down at him. "You lose," She said again, this time unafraid that he would leap up and tackle her again. "We're going to go train." Roy sighed and rolled over on to his stomach. "You have no heart," he murmured. She didn't look back at him. "It was a deal. We're going. Come on, or I'll tell dad."

"You wouldn't," He said, slowly regaining his breath. "You're no tattletale."

"True," She said, turning and kneeling down net to him. "But I will bring Armstrong here if you don't come." Roy whimpered. "Fine," he said slowly. "I'm coming, I'm coming."

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The children returned that night much sorer than usual. They had already een worn out by their mock battle in the back yard, so their reactions had been slower and Armstrong had beaten them quite easily. It also hadn't helped that the two had been more divided than in their previous encounters with the shimmering bulldozer. The two had been less willing to lend a hand to one another.

When they walked into the house that night, Mr. Hawkeye had been waiting for them. He saw they appeared much more haggard than usual, so, after ordering them to go bathe, he reheated the food that had been prepared, and sat and waited for them to come and eat. When the two children reappeared, now clean, he asked them to sit and eat while he kept them company. "So," He began. "Why so tired today? Normally you two still have some fighting spirit left in you when you return from training."

Roy grunted. Riza shot him a glare, and then turned to her father. "Well, Chichi-ue, um, we were already pretty worn out when we had to go leave to train with Private Armstrong. We, um, had a mock battle to sort of see how far along we were."

"Ah. So you two had a fight before you left. How typical."

Riza blushed. "Um, maybe, I guess…"

"And who won this battle?" Her father asked, amused.

"I did," Riza said, a hint of pride laced in her voice.

"And I assume Roy was a sore looser. That would be like him." Roy grunted. "And am I also correct in assuming that you two did not cooperate as well while you went through training?"

Both children nodded, somewhat ashamed. Mr. Hawkeye nodded. " I see… well, I believe that you two must really learn not to let such differences affect you in the heat of battle. When the time comes, you two will have jobs of your own. There will be people there that you will not always agree with, and there will be people who you will not like. However, you must never let this fact distract you from the task at hand. If you do not agree with someone, but it is imparative that you work with them to accomplish a common goal, you must put aside your differences and _work with them_. If not, the entire purpose of whatever it is you are trying to do may be lost. Am I clear?"

The two of them nodded. Mr. Hawkeye continued. "Now, I have said it before, I will say it again. The two of you will be living here for a while. You must learn to put aside your differences every once in a while and be willing to work toward the common goal. I have noticed effort on both of your parts, and I am impressed at the closeness you two have developed in the past three months. But you two still bicker like children. I expect more from both of you. Roy, you are older, act responsible. Riza, you are my daughter, and I expect much from you. Now, both of you are excused. Roy, go work more on that paper for the books I gave you three weeks ago. I know you are closed to being finished, and I expect the final product tomorrow. Riza, please come help me with dishes."

Roy and Riza both nodded and stood. Roy went to his study and Riza followed her father into the kitchen.

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There was a knock on the door. Roy lifted his head from the paper and turned to the door. "Come in," He called. Riza entered carrying the now traditional milk and cookies, but this time she was followed by her father. After setting the cookies on his desk, she came and stood behind Roy to face Mr. Hawkeye, who turned to the both of them. He cleared his throat, and spoke to them.

"Upon further reflection of our conversation at dinner, I have decided to send you two into town again tomorrow to get some supplies. I was going to do it myself, but I think it would be best for the both of you to do it."

Roy nodded. "What do we need to get, sensei?" He asked as respectfully as he could. Mr. Hawkeye turned his attention to the boy. "Paint and chalk," He said simply. "Don't think your progress goes unnoticed, Roy. You are coming along very well, and I believe you are ready to move on. From here on out, you will be studying transmutation circles with me. You will be learning the basics of how to draw them and each one's purpose. Don't look so excited," He said, seeing the look in Roy's eyes. "You will still be reading one book a month, which I guess is less than you are doing now. You will also submit one report a month to me on how the type of circle that we are studying relates to equivalent trade. As I told you, it is imperative that you understand this concept completely, so almost everything we will be doing the first year will relate to it." Roy's eyes dimmed. "Oh,"

"When you reach twelve years of age, Roy," Mr. Hawkeye continued, "We will begin actual transmutation." Roy smiled at the mention of that, but then he quickly realized something. "That's not for another year and a half!" He exclaimed.

"I am fully aware of the amount of time until then, Roy."

Roy glared at his paper, pouting. "Yes, sensei."

Mr. Hawkeye nodded and began to leave the room. Riza, who had been silent until then, called to him. "Chichi-ue, when do we leave?"

"At noon tomorrow." Mr. Hawkeye answered, and once again turned to leave. Just as he was about to walk out the door, Roy realized something. "Sensei!" He called out. The older man turned around. "Yes?"

"Um, thanks for the cookies. They're always really good."

Mr. Hawkeye smiled. "You're always welcome, Roy," He said. "But, I'm not much of a desert cook myself; Riza is the one who makes them."

Roy looked at astonishment as his teacher, and then at Riza. When the teacher had left the room, he faced her. She was blushing. "Well, when you first moved in I had made them, and dad said to take them to you so I did, and, um, well, I liked them so I kept making them."

Roy stared at her. "Jeesh, Riza, when do you have time to do anything? Catch frogs, go fishing, training, school and baking cookies? When do you sleep?" He asked incredulously. She turned and walked from the room. "Goodnight, Roy."

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The next day at noon he children were sent in to town as it had been ordained the night before. Riza walked slightly behind Roy for once, and Roy, taking this to has advantage, walked pretty fast, knowing she wouldn't be left behind, but, as long as she was behind him, he could choose any speed he so desired. "I like having this sort of power," He thought to himself as he walked along.

Riza, who was tired this morning from the episode of the night before, didn't notice that Roy was attempting to sway her under his power, but she followed his speed anyways, always staying slightly behind him.

"So," Roy spoke aloud, looking over his shoulder. "Where is the art supply shop?"

" A little further into town than the hardware store was," she answered automatically. "But it isn't to far. We should be there soon, we've already been walking for half an hour." And they could already see the shops starting to emerge along the road, hailing the arrival of the city. The two walked in silence until they reached the shop, stopped, and went in. It took them almost no time at all to find what they needed. The person in charge of the sop helped them pick up what they needed, and of course the load was lighter this time.

The two stepped out onto the street, and began to walk back. They both wanted to get back to the house, so they walked home as quickly as possible. This in turn turned into a race, which in turn resulted in Roy running straight into another person. Riza skidded to a halt behind him, trying to catch her breath. Roy sat up, rubbing his head. "Ow," He whined.

"Did you spill the paint?"

"Oh, so I fall and you're worried about the paint?"

Riza didn't answer. Instead she walked past him and offered her hand to the boy that had run into Roy. He was sitting on the ground, rubbing his messy straw colored hair. His blue eyes were squinted in pain. He had what looked like a toothpick sticking out of the corner of his mouth. He was also holding his head in pain.

He noticed Riza offering him her hand, so he took it and she pulled him up. "Thanks, missy," He said dusting the dirt off of his shoulder. Riza nodded her welcome and walked past him. "Whoa, whoa," The boy said, grabbing her arm. "I didn't even get to introduce myself," He said. "Jean Havoc, and you are?"

"Riza Hawkeye," She said slowly and tried to walk away. At this moment, Roy was glaring at him. "Um, excuse me? We really need to get home, so buzz off, quit touching her."

Jean looked at Roy. "You sure have a protective brother, missy."

Riza looked at him like he was an alien specimen. "He's not my brother," She said quickly. Jean looked from one to the other. "Oh, forgive me," He said quickly. "I didn't realize he was your boyfriend, little missy."

At this remark, Jean found himself faced with glares that were so poisonous and caustic they would have melted steel. "Eww!" Roy and Riza exclaimed. They shivered. Riza yanked her arm free of Jean's grasp, grabbed Roy's arm and marched off into the distance. "It was nice to meet you, Jean," She called back at him, somewhat stiffly. He smiled and waved back at her. "You too, missy," He smiled. "Maybe I'll see you around sometime?"

"I doubt it," She called back, and they were gone.

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Yay, another chapter done! And insert Havoc. I don't think he'll be comeing back, though, not until Riza joins the military academy, and then she'll meet him again, I think. Ok, now for a few corrections:

--I have seen and been told multiple ages for Roy and Riza, anywhere between roy is six years older to they're the same age. I found these ages (that Roy is a year older) on and ive read fics in which these ages are correct, but Im not sure these ages are 100 correct. I'm going to use these in the fic, though, cause that's the ages I see them as, so yeah.

--I have a question for all of you… how long ago (from the present day FMA, preferably the manga) did the isbalan war break out? And how long did it last? If anyone can tell me, I'll send them something, I dunno, a cookie or something like that. Thanks a lot!

And now for the thankyous. If you are reading this fic and your name isn't oon this ist, then all these people are cooler than you. (unless you have reviewed for a previous chapter, then you're still cool.)

-Anya-06-

-inuyasha's lil sister-

--EFC--

-Puddles24-

-windxalchemist-

-SnakeCharmerFoxx-

-gun-alchemist01-

-smm-

-pin0ts-

-Anne Packrat-

-Shadow Dreamer27-

-Tressa-

-momiji-k-

-Mari Marin-

-Suki dah Turdle-

-daqiao154-

-Locked. Loaded. and Waiting-

-Commander Zucchini-

Next chappie will be up by Monday if not sooner!


	7. A Wedding

"Gah! I can't concentrate!" Roy cried. He was, once again, hunched over some paper. It had been a month since he had begun to study transmutation circles with Mr. Hawkeye, and now he had an enormous paper due on how transmutation circles that changed the density of matter related to equivalent trade. So far, all he had was that it was equivalent trade because it was alchemy, and all alchemy was based on equivalent trade. He honestly couldn't see how he was supposed to write an entire paper on this. It was absurd! All this paperwork, it sucked. "I can't wait till I become the boss of everyone at my job. No one will be able to make me do anything then," He grumbled, tapping the pencil on the desk.

Just as he finished speaking, Riza walked through his study door, carrying the now ritual cookies and milk. He smiled when he saw her, and grinned evilly when she set the cookies down on his desk. "Finally! A break!" He exclaimed. Riza looked over his shoulder at the meager sentence on his report that was due the next day. "It looks like you've been taking enough breaks," She said.

"For your information, I have been working extremely hard to get that right. I had to go through twenty different ideas before I could get that sentence down." He retorted. "Besides, that's about the only thing that I can think of for this paper. Riza sighed. "_The transmutation circles used for the compression and decompression of mater relate to equivalent exchange because they are alchemy, and alchemy's basic rule is equivalent exchange."_ She read in a monotone. "That's a real convincing paper, there."

"I'd like to see you do better," He said. She groaned in exasperation and walked from the room. "That's what I thought!" Roy called after her. He turned back to his paper, dropping a few crumbs on it from the cookie he had just shoved into his mouth. "What else is there to put?" He muttered to himself, taking up his pencil again and using it to brush the crumbs from the page. He didn't even notice Riza reenter the room until she slammed three large books onto his desk. He jumped about a foot into the air. "What the heck are these?" He asked. She didn't respond, but opened one of the books, skimming through the pages. Smiling when she found what she was looking for, she ran her finger along the page. "Here," She said pointing. "Read this." She shoved the book at him and moved on to the next one. Once again, she flipped through the pages, found what she was looking for and shoved them at him He looked at her dumbfounded. "What is this?"

She sighed. "What do you think? It's about how certain transmutation circles relate to equivalent trade." She said matter-of-factly.

"Oh," Roy said quickly. "I knew that."

"I'm sure. "

"Where did you get these books?"

"Dad's study. Don't you go in there, though. He hates people taking things from his room."

"Why are you allowed in, then?"

"I'm his _daughter_. Sheesh, I didn't think you were that thick."

She walked from the room and he stuck her tongue out at her. He turned to look at the passages she had pointed out for him. His jaw dropped. "Holy crap, I can actually _use _this! Who knew a girl could be so helpful? And I guess her cookies are good, too." He said, taking an enormous bite out of said cookies.

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The next day, after walking home from school, Riza noticed a letter sitting on the doorstep. It looked to be rather thick, but then again, it might just have been the envelope. She picked it up and looked at it. The envelope was indeed what made the letter look thick. It appeared to be homemade, she noted. On the front of the envelope was some very well written script, obviously written by a woman's hand. It had the same sort of appearance as the letter Roy wouldn't let her see had had. It read _To William and Riza Hawkeye and Roy Mustang_. (A/N- I have no idea what Mr. Hawkeye's real name is, so it's going to be William, ok?) This was surprising to Riza. Who in the world would be writing to all three of them? And a woman, no less?

Riza held the letter firmly, and opened the door to her house, deposited her things near the door and ran to her father's study. Pushing the door open, she ran to a cabinet to retrieve a letter opener. Finding what she was looking for, she carefully pealed apart the seal and pulled out an ornate looking piece of parchment. She unfolded it carefully and read;

"_Dear William, Riza, and Roy,_

_We would be honored by your appearance at the wedding of Tae Eliza Mustang to Alexander Chaser Madrich on the fifth of November of this year."_

It was elaborately written in gold letters across the parchment, with an exquisite border running along the sides. "Well, this is kind of weird…" She murmured, looking over the parchment. But then again, if it was someone from Roy's family being married, it was natural that he go. And if they were going to send an invitation, they might as well invite Riza and her father, right? Right. Ok, so it wasn't that weird. Riza put the parchment in the envelope, and walked out of the room. She figured it was best to ask Roy about his, since it was someone in his family.

"Roy?" She asked, sticking her head into his study. The boy was fast asleep on his desk, drool threatening to destroy the now finished paper that was do today. Exasperated, Riza walked over and smacked him. "Wake up!" She yelled. He snapped to attention, but then noticing it was only her, relaxed. "Oh, good morning to you, too." He said groggily, laying his head back down. "I still have five minutes though." He was rudely awoken once again by another generous slap from Riza. "What?" He whined, rubbing his head. She shoved the envelope in his face. "Did you know someone inn your family is getting married? They invited Dad and I to go too."

Roy snatched the letter and pulled out the parchment. "Oh, yeah," He said reading over the paper. "Tae? Yeah… I knew."

"How? You never get any calls, oh," She said, stopping herself. "Was it in that letter you wouldn't let me read? Were you embarrassed about her getting married?"

"No! It's not that," He said, fiddling with the envelope. "It's just-" He cut himself off as another paper fell from the envelope. Both stared at it, and then rushed to grab it, which resulted in a small brawl, in which Riza proved victorious. Holding Roy at arm's length with one hand, and holding the letter with the other, she began to read.

" 'Dear Mr. Hawkeye, it is nice to finally get to write to you. As you have probably already discovered, you and your daughter (and Roy, of course) are invited to my daughter's wedding. Roy, being the youngest in our family and Tae's brother, is expected to be the ring bearer. As such it would be ideal for him to arrive early. Also, if you would so desire, Tae requests that Riza be one of her bridesmaids. Our family feels that including your daughter in the wedding is the least we can do for you. You have done so much for us already; taking Roy under your guidance and roof free of charge. Yours truly, Carol Mustang.'" Riza paused. "Bridesmaid?" She said skeptically. "Would I have to wear a dress?" She asked.

"Yeah," Roy said, smiling. "A big pink frilly one, with lace, and sparkly sequins!"

Riza looked disgusted for a minute and then glared at Roy. "Shut up," She growled. Roy just chuckled.

"What's going on in here?" A voice came from the doorway. "Are you two fighting again?"

"No," Riza said, running over to her father and handing him the two letters. "Roy's mom invited us to Roy's sister's wedding. Roy has to be there early, and Roy's sister wants me to be a bridesmaid."

"She wants you in the wedding?" Mr. Hawkeye said. "Well, then, I guess we have no choice but to go."

"I warned her that she'll have to wear a dress," Roy said.

Mr. Hawkeye smiled. "I think that Riza can make an exception from her normal dress code. Besides, I would like her to see what a wedding is like,"

Riza pouted. "Ok, fine, I'll wear the dress." She said. "But you owe me, chichi-ue."

"Yes, yes, fine." Mr. Hawkeye said, waving his hand. "Now, Riza, you go write a nice RSVP." Riza nodded and ran from the room. Mr. Hawkeye turned to Roy. 'Now," He said. "Let's see that paper."

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Time always flies before an expected event. As it happened, November the fifth had been one month ago when they had received the invitation, but now Roy and Riza found themselves in the back of a car driving out to East City to attend Roy's sister's wedding. They had been driving for an hour or so. Riza was deep in thought, but Roy couldn't stop fidgeting. "Are we there yet?" He asked. Riza groaned. "You asked that five minutes ago."

"Yeah, I know, I mean, are we there _now_."

"Does it look like it?"

"No…"

"Then quit asking."

Silence. Riza closed her eyes and returned to her musings.

"Are we there yet?"

"For the ten zillionth time, no!" Riza exclaimed.

"How much longer?"

"I don't know! Just, quit bugging me, or something."

Roy turned around and looked out the window. "Whoa!" He exclaimed. "Hey, Riza, look at that!"

"It's a cow."

"I know, but look at the spots, it looks like a smile face!"

Riza rolled her eyes and turned away from him. With any luck the smiley-faced cow would keep him occupied. She was about to nod off when she felt a finger in her ribs. Her eyes snapped open. She looked at Roy whose hand was an incriminating two inches from her side. "What?" She snapped.

"I just wanted to see if you were awake."

"Well, I am now." She tried to close her eyes, but again, she felt a finger in her ribs. She turned on a surprised Roy. "For god's sake, sit still!" She hissed. Roy shrunk back into the corner. "I was just gonna ask you if you knew how much longer," He said. She growled at him. "I do not know! We will get there when we get there, ok?"

"Hey!" Mr. Hawkeye's voice called from the front seat. "Am I going to have to pull over here?" He asked.

Roy shook his head, and turned to look out the window. Riza did the same, praying desperately that they would arrive soon.

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"Ah! Hello! You must be William-san," A tall woman with black hair was saying. Riza stood silently behind her father, while Roy now stood next to his mother. "It is an honor to finally meet you." The woman concluded. She turned to Riza. "And this must be Riza-chan!" She said smiling. Riza smiled and offered her hand. "Nice to meet you, Carol-san," She said.

"What nice manners!" The woman exclaimed. "Now dear, you must come with me. William-san, please do make yourself comfortable and find yourself a place in the chapel. Roy, go with your father; he has your suit." Mrs. Mustang now turned to Riza again. "Come with me dear, the tailors have to have your dress fitted. And you must meet everyone else. Come along, now," She said extending her hand. Riza had the urge to say that she was nine years old, thank you very much, and perfectly able of following her without having to cling to her hand like a toddler, but she resisted and took the woman's hand. Mrs. Mustang led her down multiple halls until they reached a small room in the back of the building. Inside, there were three other girls, all at least five years older than she, sporting white dresses. All of them each held a single white rose, and were standing still as another person busied themselves around their dresses.

Mrs. Mustang hurried her over to another woman at the very back of the room that Riza hadn't seen before. Her dress was much, much, much more elaborate than the others, and she had a simple white veil covering her face. Her hair, jet-black, was pulled behind her head in a series of intricate curls and knots. Riza stared in awe at her, and, even though she absolutely despised wearing dresses unless it was an absolute necessity, couldn't help but feel a bit envious of the beautiful woman. "Tae!" Mrs. Mustang called out to her. The woman turned and smiled. "Tae," Mrs. Mustang continued. "This is Riza-chan. Can you please get her set up with the dress? I need to go back out front and help with the greetings."

The tall woman nodded and turned to Riza. "So you're Hawkeye-san's daughter. Dad told me that you were cute." Riza smiled and extended her hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Tae-san."

The older woman shook her hand pleasantly. "Now," She said. "Your father had called to warn us that you and Roy would both be unable to make it to the rehearsal, that's unfortunate. Roy was in my older sister's wedding before, so we aren't too worried about him. But, Riza-chan, have you ever been in a wedding?"

Riza shook her head. Tae sighed. "Well, then, we had best get you informed. Come with me."

Riza followed Tae out of the room to another room next door. There were a few chairs scattered around, and Tae made quick work to arrange them to create a sort of isle. She turned to Riza. "Ok, Riza-chan, you will be the first one to walk out. Someone will tell you when to go, so don't worry about that. Now, this is how it works…"

The next fifteen minutes were spent explaining to Riza how to walk down the isle and where to stand. Then, she was shown when she walked back and where she went. It was very simple; the only thing she was worried about was whether or not she might trip on the walk up the isle, considering what Roy had told her about her dress. "Ok, Riza-chan, lets go back, we need to fit you into your dress. Don't worry about it," She said, seeing Riza's face. "You won't trip. You did very good practicing." Riza nodded and followed Tae back into the other room. Tae spoke to another woman, who quickly pulled Riza aside and began to undress her. Riza's face paled, the last thing she wanted was to be undressed in public. None of the other girls paid any mind, however, so Riza calmed down a bit.

After she had been stuffed into a dress, the woman proceeded to brush her hair and tie a ribbon around her head. Riza felt like a doll, to tell the truth. She was then forced to put on makeup, of all the god-forsaken items. She suffered all of this silently, and when the strange woman had finally released her, she was shoved in front of the mirror, where she stood in shock. The dress was a shimmering white, and it fell to her ankles. There was a bit of lace and some layers, but no frills or sequins like Roy had taunted her with. A simple white ribbon held her hair in place, and she noticed even the makeup didn't look so bad. Tae came and stood behind her. "Aww! Kawaii, Riza-chan!" She exclaimed. Riza blushed slightly at the comment.

"Now hurry up, the ceremony starts in fifteen minutes!" A voice called from outside the room. The next thing Riza knew, she was walking down the isle to the end where she was supposed to stand.

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"Pictures?" Roy whined. Riza couldn't help but giggle softly at him. The ceremony was over, and truth be told, it had gone very well. Nothing had happened, and Riza had even enjoyed herself. She had almost burst out laughing when she saw Roy coming down the isle, though. The normally messy boy had had his hair combed back and was wearing a small tux. It was completely different from the Roy that she was used to seeing.

"Why do we have to take pictures?" He whined again. "Because," His mother said, a little harshly. "It's your sister's wedding."

"Exactly! It's not mine! Can I please go change? Can I, please?"

"No," Mr. Mustang said, more forcefully than his wife. Roy grunted and shoved his hands into his pockets. For the next hour or so, the children were shoved in and out of pictures. Pictures with the bride, pictures with the groom, and pictures with both. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime to both, the photographer allowed them to stop. Both sighed in relief, and Riza turned to go to her father.

"Wait a minute, Riza-chan!" Tae called. "Come here for a second." Riza turned and obediently approached her. "Can you take a picture with Roy, please?"

Hearing this, Roy burst out in anger. "What? No way, you said it was over! I want to go change! No more pictures."

Tae glared at her brother, who sullenly walked forward and stood by Riza. "Hurry up and get it over with," He said.

"You have to smile," His mother said.

"And stand up straight." His father added. Roy complied sluggishly, and the picture was snapped. Roy slouched back to his original self and asked, "Ok, now can I go change?"

"Yes, fine, go." And he was gone.

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The reception was a small one, and it didn't last very long. There was cake and some music and dancing, and that was it. Riza actually found herself enjoying it.

When all was said and done, Riza watched as Roy said goodbye to his family. It was weird seeing him being somewhat emotional as he hugged them each in turn.

The car ride home started off uneventful, and both children sat staring out the windows at the darkening sky. All was quiet, until, "Are we there yet?"

Riza pulled her slingshot out from under the seat. "Ok, ok!" Roy said, holding up his hands. "Jeesh, do you have that thing everywhere?"

Riza smiled and set it down. "I never know when I'll need it." She said smugly. Roy was quiet for the rest of the way home.

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Whoohoo! Chapter seven is done! OK, so first thing is first: Credit for the idea of this chapter goes to Anya-06! Thanks for the great idea! Ok, and now for the other thankyous! Thanks to you guys, I got 99 reviews! Come on, one more, people!

-Commander Zucchini-

-Puddles24-

-Tressa-

-Anicka-

-SnakeCharmerFoxx-

-Greecian-Gurl-

-inuyasha's lil sister-

-smm-

-gun-alchemist01-

--EFC--

-Shadow Dreamer 27-

-Anya-06-

-dingi-

-Suki dah Turdle-

-windxalchemist-

-Riza-Chuui-

-momiji-k-

-Pharaohs Queen-

And an ultra uber big thanks to SnufflesWillRise for the most amazing review ever! 737 words (yes I counted)! You rock!


	8. Midnight Reflections

The night was unnervingly clear; each brilliant spec in the distance was visible in the velvet black oblivion of the sky. The moon was amazingly bright, a globe of unadulterated ivory in against the speckled horizon. The constellations moved quietly and slowly across the universe, each in turn lazily casting light on the small house. Small waves of light quivered across the ceiling of the room whenever a stray car passed by, mixing with the illumination provided by the stars that had already illuminated the small room. One particularly brave star had decided to glare obtrusively against the window, creating a dance of lights that played throughout the room as the shadows of the braches of the old sycamore tree joined in a waltz across the barren floor.

It was for all the reasons that Riza found herself unable to sleep. The silent symphony so generously provided by the night sky was not in the least bit annoying, but was in a way so calming that it became distracting. She rolled over in her bed, trying to hide her face from the illuminating spectacle that the night tried to put on for her, but there was something that kept whispering in her ear and causing her to roll back over and face the silent music of the lights. She was, for all intents and purposes, wide-awake.

Deciding that she would come back up to bed perhaps when the night decided to not be so generous in its performances, she slipped silently from the bed and made her way to the door. She twisted the knob slowly as not to wake the houses other sleeping inhabitants, one of which was just across the hall and the other a ways further down.

She walked on her toes down the stairs, balancing her hands carefully against the railing to keep from tripping in the darkness in the hall. The light of the stars had abandoned her, seeing as the cruel hallway had provided no window for them to come in and dance around the girl's bare feet.

She reached bottom of the stairs and tentatively put one foot upon the carpet. Deciding that it was safe to continue, she made her way to the kitchen for a glass of milk, and perhaps one of the cookies she had made earlier that day. It was relatively easy for her to find her way, there was a light on in the kitchen, she noticed, and that was odd for this hour. Normally her father had turned off all of the lights, but it seemed that either he had been up late again with his research and perhaps completely forgotten the light before heading up to bed.

She walked into the kitchen, shielding her eyes from the bright light that had obliterated the soft dance of the stars. She walked to the refrigerator to retrieve the milk, and turned to the table in the corner to find someone already sitting there. Said person was busy swirling a cookie in a tall glass of milk as well, and hadn't noticed the new comer. Riza smiled to herself, proud that she had managed to enter unnoticed, even if the one who might have seen her was sleep deprived and not in the least bit capable of noticing her unless she had barreled into the room on an elephant.

Quietly as possible, she walked up to the oblivious boy who sat engrossed in the cookie and milk. Leaning down next to his face and breathing quietly, she came as close to his ear as she dared. "What are you doing up?" She asked in a whisper.

Roy jumped about a foot in the air and turned to face her. "Geez!" He cried in a loud whisper. "What the heck was that for?" He asked irritably. She simply smiled at the look of anger on his face. "I just wanted to see if you were awake." She replied in a cheery whisper.

"You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?" He said.

"Never. Who knew you could be so immature in the car?"

"Hey, now, that was two years ago."

"But you've done it in every long car ride since."

Roy simply glared and went back to his cookies. The now twelve year old looked almost identical to his ten-year-old self, although his voice had become slightly deeper and his hair, if possible, messier. Riza, now eleven, was pretty much the same as well. Her hair was still short, she had insisted on keeping it close to her head. Roy had teased her the first time she had asked for it cut, saying she was gonna go bald soon, but he had received a pebble between the eyes from Riza's slingshot and had since remained silent the next time she had requested a trim.

Riza moved to the table and sat in the seat across from him, also dipping a cookie into the milk and twirling it inside the tall glass. "So," Riza repeated. "Why are you up?" He lifted his eyes from the glass of milk. "I was hungry and couldn't sleep. Your dad woke me up when he left."

Riza looked up from the cookie to meet his gaze. "Where'd he go?" She asked. This was normal. Her father would leave in the middle of the night and come back the next morning. Roy glanced down at the cookie, which was steadily turning to mush. "Where'd you think?" He asked, taking a huge bite of the dilapidating cookie. "To get some stuff for his alchemy. Like always."

Riza sighed and nodded. "Like always," She concurred. Both sat in silence for a while, Roy trying to piece his cookie back together, Riza watching with mild interest. Roy broke the silence as he stood up to retrieve more milk. "So, did you ever tell him that you wanted to join the military?"

"No…"

"Well… you might want to think about it soon. You'll have to enlist in the academy pretty soon."

"I have a few years."

"Yeah… I guess." He sat for a moment. "Why do you want to join, anyways? Apart from your mom and grandfather being in the military?"

Riza shrugged. "That's something I'm still deciding. I know that I have to do it, and I know I want to do it to change the country. I don't know exactly how or why, but I figure I'll know when I sign up. I'll figure it out. Maybe I can request to work under ji-chan, or something."

Roy didn't answer. He sat engrossed in his new cookie, mulling over her words. "That seems like you," He said finally. "Rush into things and _then_ assess them calmly. At least you know what you want to do."

Riza looked at him oddly. "Are you feverish or something? You're acting nice. It's kind of creepy."

He looked at her with sleep-deprived accuracy. "I'm not that bad, am I?"

"No, but you're not this good either."

"I guess sleep deprivation and sugar rush is getting to me."

Riza shook her head. "Nah," She said softly. "I just think you like me more now, _Roy no nii-san._" She said slyly.

"Don't call me that!" He snapped at her. She giggled. "You like nii-_chan_ better?"

He stuck his tongue out at her and returned to his cookie. "Fine. Maybe I won't be so nice to you anymore." He took a sip of milk, leaving him with a streak of white across his upper lip, which he quickly wiped off. "Maybe I'll just start calling you a stupid girl again."

"Alchemy freak."

"Boy wanna-be!"

"Idiotic male!"

"Ugly!"

"Moron!"

They glared at each other; each prepared to spring upon the other if they would dare utter another insult. Each held a glint of malice in their eye, laced over with one of amusement. Then both burst out laughing. Roy leaned back in his chair and wiped a tear from his eye. "I actually thought you were gonna attack me," He said.

"Nah, it'd be to pathetic to watch you suffer," Riza said after catching her breath. "Besides, then how would I beat Armstrong tomorrow?"

"So you admit you need my help?"

She grinned. "Well, when you help, we get a lot closer to beating him, right?"

Roy nodded. "Yeah… I guess." He grinned at her. "Ok, so I admit it. You're not that bad, for a girl."

"Same to you."

"What?"

"You're not to bad for a girl, either." Roy threw his cookie at her, which she dodged. She looked over in the corner where it had scattered into oblivion. She looked back at him. "You're gonna clean that up, you know."

"I'd like to see you make me. Ok, wait, no I don't," He said seeing her reach into her pocket. He got up from his chair to fetch the broom from the corner. He began to hastily sweep up the cookie crumbs. "God, do you sleep with that thing?" He asked, dumping the crumbs into the trash and sitting back down. She smiled at him evilly. "No, I didn't even have it. It's nice to know you listen to me, though."

Roy sweat-dropped. "That was unfair."

"A soldier uses all tactics available. Deceit is a perfectly legal tactic."

"Good god, you sound like a stupid militant officer already."

"Good," She said. She took her glass over to the sink and began to rinse it out. He stood up and walked beside her, setting his own glass in the sink. "Your dad wouldn't think so," He said, turning his back on her and walking from the room.

"He doesn't really have a say. If he says no, I'll get ji-chan to back me up. Roy shrugged. "Whatever," he said.

There was silence for a few minutes, both children staring into nothingness from the lack of sleep. Roy suddenly looked thoughtful. He glanced at Riza, and said, "I thought your mom was in the military,"

"She was." Riza said.

"Then, why can't you be in the military? I mean, if your mom was allowed-"

"She wasn't _allowed_," Riza interrupted. "She joined before they were married. If he loved her, he wasn't gonna not marry her just because she joined. And, it's not like she was corrupt like a bunch of the people there or anything. I think she joined because she wanted to change the military, sorta like ji-chan, and like I want to."

Roy nodded sleepily. "How did she die?" He asked.

Riza looked at the ground. "I'm going to bed," she said. She turned and walked out of the room, and Roy heard her footsteps climb slowly upstairs. He slapped himself and his insomnia for inhibiting his decision making and making him randomly ask a stupid question like that. "Why do I even care?" He muttered to himself. He put his glass into the sink, and followed Riza back up to bed.

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The next morning, Roy dragged himself out of bed, and headed groggily down the stairs. It was too early, he thought, he really shouldn't have stayed up eating cookies and milk the night before. But he needed to get up, Mr. Hawkeye was taking him out into the woods today to practice some simple transmutation; they had actually started a while ago, but before, it had involved him watching his teacher transmute some substances into different ones. Today was the first day that he would actually be allowed to perform a transmutation.

He walked into the kitchen and absentmindedly grabbed some cereal and started to eat it dry. He sat at the table, shoving the cereal into his mouth. He looked up to see Riza sitting down in front of him with a glass of juice and some toast. "I'm sorry," She said, and he looked at her, mouth hanging open slightly.

"Huh?"

"For last night, I shouldn't have just ignored you like that. It was really rude," She said, taking a bite of her toast. Roy shook his head. "No, I shouldn't have asked, it's probably personal, and-"

"No, really, I shouldn't have responded that way," She said, setting the glass down on the table with a soft thud. Roy just stayed silent. Riza shifted uncomfortably, eying her toast, sometimes shifting her gaze to Roy. Things went on this way for a little while, Roy every once and a while popping some cereal into his mouth, and Riza sipping cautiously in her juice. Finally, Riza plucked up her courage and spoke softly. "She left really late one night, urgent call or something. I don't remember exactly what it was."

Roy looked up at her for a second, opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it deciding he wasn't going to let insomnia burst out something stupid again. Riza continued in a small voice. "They didn't want to wake me up, I was four, and so they figured it would be good for me to sleep or something. Anyways, when I woke up, Dad told me that she had gone on a mission with a group of people and she'd be back tomorrow." She took a long breath. "When I got home from school the next day, though, Dad was reading a letter, and he was crying. I think that's the only time I'd seen him cry." She said, her own voice trembling. "She got shot." Riza inhaled jaggedly. "They said in the letter that it was quick, so she didn't suffer or anything." She wiped her face. "I'm sorry," She said as she stood up and left the room.

Roy stared after her for a minute. He stood up, and ran to the door. "Riza!" He called. He ran after her, but he didn't see where she had gone. He ran up the stairs and looked into her room, but she wasn't there. After a thorough yet fruitless search of the house, he ran outside. "Riza?" He called again, not really expecting an answer. He rounded the house, and ran out back into the field. He saw her, sitting on a rock by the stream, just like he had found her on his first day there. "Riza!" He called and ran to her. She had her legs tucked into her chest, and her head was resting on her kneecaps. It didn't look like she had been crying, though. She was just staring off into space. Roy walked up and stood behind her. "Are you gonna be okay?" He asked tentatively.

"Yeah." Her voice was vacant. Roy sat down beside her. "You know," He began. "You really didn't have to talk about that."

"I know." She replied softly.

Roy sighed. "So, um… I guess that's why your dad would never let you join, right?" Oh great, he thought to himself. That was real smooth.

"Yeah," Riza said. "But, that's why I have to join. It's kind of in my blood, you know? Like I have to carry on where she left off."

Roy nodded dumbly. "Well, um… I can go, now, if you don't want me here." She didn't say anything, so he stood up and turned to leave.

"Roy?"

He turned and looked at her. Her position hadn't changed at all. "You can stay, if you want." She said under her breath. Roy smiled ever so slightly, but went and sat down next to her. "Ok," He said.

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Ok, first thing is first: I'm so sorry about the delay in posting this chapter! One, my teachers have collaborated to give me as much homework as possible, and two, our computer has been MIA since we were having the computer room redone and such. All that, and FanFiction wouldn't let me log in to post it… grr. Anyways, thankyou to all who reviewed!

-Pharaohs Queen-

-Anicka-

-Commander Zucchini-

-SnakeCharmerFoxx-

-flOofymikO-

- -EFC- -

-momiji-k-

-TearShield Alchemist-

-Shadow Dreamer 27-

-dingi-

-Puddles24-

-Suki dah Turdle-

-ThatLittleBlondeAngel-

-Pen Alchemist-

-Anya-06-

-pin0ts-

-Cles-

Next chapter will be up as soon as possible, but it might take a while considering there may be some research involved. Till then!

-Nilmiel-


	9. A Small Victory

Sleeping must have been the world's greatest bliss. He honestly would have stayed in that bed for all of eternity if he had had the choice. The must have been no greater feeling in the world than to be snuggled tightly into a cocoon of blankets on a cool spring morning as sun drifter through the windows.

Roy's mouth hung open slightly and a tiny sliver of drool hung from the side of his mouth. The sun was not too bright in his face, rather, it was gently and lulling, adding to the boy's sedated state. His eyes were still firmly closed and his breathing was regular. He was dead to the world.

He would have gratefully remained that way for the rest of the day He probably would have stayed there, too, if the door had not swung wide at the moment, banging the wall and leaving a small dent, and causing a noise loud enough to wake the boy from his slumber. He sat bolt upright, throwing his hands in the air, fear reminiscent on his face from a lost dream. "What?" He screeched.

Riza smiled at him, and walked over and stood right next to him. He watched her as she came and stood next to his bed, and his eyes followed hers as she bent down next to him.

"What are you doing?" He asked slowly really quite unsure of her behavior. She flashed him another smile, bent down to his ear as if to whisper something to him. She said something inaudible, and so Roy leaned in closer to try to hear what she had said. "What?" He asked softly.

""GET UP!" She yelled at the top of her lungs into his ears. Roy jumped out of bed and nearly hit the ceiling. His hands flew to his ears and he squinted his eyes. "What the hell?" He said angrily.

Riza was already up and at he door. "Dad made you breakfast, he said for me to come wake you up." He stared at her. "He made me breakfast?" He repeated, unsure of what he had just heard. "Yeah," Riza said, as if speaking to a slow child. "It's gonna get cold, so you better hurry up, or I'll eat all of it for you."

Roy looked at her, puzzled, as she headed from the room. Why was Hawkeye-sensei making him breakfast? All the while he'd been here, he'd had to fish his own breakfast out of the cabinets downstairs or ask Riza to make him something, which rarely succeeded. He then snapped out of his reverie, realizing he was standing only in his boxers in the middle of the room. He began to blush, and quickly threw on some clothes that had been left on the floor. After a quick sop in the bathroom, he walked down the stairs to the kitchen, where a tempting aroma awaited him.

As soon as he stepped into the kitchen, he noticed that there was a multitude of pancakes and fresh fruit on a plate in the place he normally sat, as well as a large mug of hot chocolate. Riza was filling her plate at the stove, and Mr. Hawkeye was washing out an enormous pan that must have been used to make the pancakes. He turned as he noticed Roy had entered the room, and smiled at him. "So, you're finally awake. Good."

"Um, sensei, is that for me?"

"Who else would it be for, it is in your place, isn't it?"

Riza sat down in her normal spot across from Roy's place. "I wasn't joking about eating that stuff if you don't." She said, motioning toward it with her fork. Roy nodded without thinking and quickly sat down at the table. He tentatively picked up a strawberry and popped it in his mouth. Deciding the fruit wasn't poisoned; he quickly polished off the remaining strawberries, bananas and grapes that had been in the bowl. He then turned to the pancakes. He reached across his plate and grabbed some butter and lobbed it onto the warm cakes and spread them around. Cutting off a huge piece, he looked at it thoroughly before showing it into his mouth. He grinned broadly. "Delicious!" He said, shoving some more into his open mouth. He then noticed Riza looking at him with a look of horror on her face. "What?" He asked, his mouth still full of pancake mush.

"You think you can fit anymore in there?" She asked disapprovingly.

"Riza, let him be for today," Hawkeye-sensei called from the sink.

When Riza backed down, Roy looked from one of them to the other. "What's the catch?" He said suspiciously, mouth still crammed full of carbohydrate-goodness. "Nothing," Hawkeye-sensei said.

"Um, isn't this a little… nice of you, sensei?"

"Isn't it also normal that other people in the house are nice to a person on their birthday?" Riza said, standing up to retrieve more fruit. "What?" Roy said, looking thoughtful for a minute. "Is that today? Hey, it is, isn't it? Wow, I forgot."

"Really? Wow, I couldn't tell," Riza said sarcastically, sitting down again. "Have you lost track of time completely with your alchemy studies?"

"Well, I haven't really looked at a calendar recently, and I sort of base my months on whenever my research papers are due. So… I knew my birthday was around now, but not that it was today."

Mr. Hawkeye arrived at the table with a plate of pancakes all his own. "Well, since you obviously don't know your days of the week very well, I'll remind you that you that you two have a lesson with Corporal Armstrong today."

"I knew there was a catch," Roy groaned.

"Oh come on, it's not so bad," Riza pointed out. We've gotten loads better, and we don't get bruised so bad any more."

"But my dignity is always injured enough as it is."

"You had dignity?"

Roy glared at her, but then returned to shoving pancakes in his mouth. Training wasn't until tonight; he might as well enjoy himself until then. "Oh, and remember, your report on circles that expand solids into gas is due tomorrow, Roy." Mr. Hawkeye said.

Roy slammed his head onto the table, narrowly missing the pancakes. "I knew there was a catch," He mumbled.

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The soft spring air danced along with the two young people as they walked down the streets. Roy was in the lead, something he had begun doing more often, and Riza didn't really mind. It was normal to her now that he would lead the way. A particularly strong gust blew the hair into Roy's eyes, causing him to stop and stumble for a minute, which in turn caused Riza, who had been looking at the ground to run into him, knocking to the ground with her falling on top of him.

Roy rubbed his head as Riza clambered to get off of him, blushing a little. "Sorry," She said, " I wasn't looking."

"Naw, s'ok, I tripped."

She offered him her hand and yanked him up off of the ground. He brushed himself off, and smiled at her, and the two continued their walk towards the center of the park to wait for the sparkling bull of a man they called 'Instructor.' They didn't have long to wait. The moment the set foot into the clearing, they heard an enormous voice behind them.

"Children! You have arrived before me once again! Your punctuality is most admirable!" He crossed the field in one fell swoop, scooping Roy and Riza into his arms. Twenty-year-old corporal had hardly changed at all, and, if at all possible, had acquired more sparkles with age. His hair was still thick and luxurious, and his mustache had grown out to meet and accommodate it.

Roy and Riza each struggled desperately for breath against their captor. "Corporal, sir," Riza gasped. "Can you please let us go?" Armstrong flung his arms wide and bent down to Roy and Riza who lay sprawled across the ground. "Forgive me, children! I was carried away! Now, I will give you each a moment to regain your breath, and then we will begin. You have one minute!" He bellowed, and sat down on the grass and began to stretch, although it looked more like he was putting on a show of muscle to each passerby.

Roy and Riza also began to stretch. "Hey, Riza," Roy whispered to her, looking over to make sure Armstrong was thoroughly engrossed in his body building. "Do you have your slingshot?"

"Yeah… but I'm not going to use it."

"I know, I know, it's hand-to-hand combat, not 'let's all throw rocks at people'," Roy said. "You don't need to use it. Could you make it look like you were gonna use it, though? Like a distraction, or something?"

"Well, I guess I could, but I don't think…"

"Weren't you the one who said, and I quote, 'deceit is a perfectly legal tactic'?"

Riza nodded. "Yeah, I guess. But, what would you do when I distract him?"

Roy sweatdropped. "I hadn't gotten that far yet." Riza slapped her forehead. "Of course you haven't. Why would you?"

"Well, I figured you would be able to come up with the rest."

"You can't count on me forever, Roy! I'm not always gonna be beside you, you know! (A/N-yes you will, muahaha) But you're in luck now. Ok, remember the punch I taught you?"

"Um, the one with the half open fist thing?"

"Yeah, the one ji-chan showed me. Ok, so, I distract him, you'll be behind him; you go do that to the back of his neck, ok? It's supposed to render someone unconscious, but I think with him it might just give him a minor bruise."

"That's good! Ok, so when do we do it? Right away or what?"

"No, get warmed up first," Riza said, stretching her arms over her head. "You won't be any good without any blood flowing."

"Right," Roy affirmed.

Armstrong had finished scarring people and had turned back to the two. "Are you prepared?" He demanded and rained sparkles onto them. They looked each other and nodded, and turned to face the shimmering bulldozer. "Begin!" Armstrong declared.

He rushed at them, and if one was standing nearby, they might have called to the children to avoid the pink sparkling meteor that was plowing toward them. And then one might have cringed as the two were thrown off of their feet and scattered into opposite directions.

Roy groaned and heaved himself off of the ground, panting. He glanced at Riza who had also pulled her self off of the ground and turned to face their aggressor who was currently posing in multiple positions that made him sick too his stomach. He saw Riza rush him, and he did the same. Armstrong turned to them again, and just as Roy and Riza were about to reach him, a giant fist headed straight for Roy. He didn't have the time to duck, but just before the fist collided with his face, he felt his feet knocked out from under him. Riza had dropped to the ground and knocked him off of his feet with a side kick, and then nimbly slipped underneath and between his legs so she was behind him. Armstrong, having missed Roy, flew right past him, and turned to face Riza, who had her slingshot out and at the ready. Armstrong paused for a moment, a little confused as to why this small girl was threatening with a stick with elastic tied between the tongs. Roy took this moment and threw himself at the back of the monstrous man's neck. Armstrong, however, heard his footsteps, and turned his head slightly, leaving Roy to collide with his forehead.

Roy gasped in pain, feeling like he must have just broken his fingers. Armstrong stood up straight and rubbed his forehead. He laughed. "Wonderful! Wonderful! You both have come a long way! Congratulations!" And he began to laugh again, switching poses every five seconds.

Roy and Riza just stared at him blankly, Roy rubbing his sore knuckles. Armstrong began to move forward to bring them into his mandibles of death, and did so in shimmering glory. Roy and Riza were once again plunged into suffocation and mass struggling. After about a minute, they were free. "We will end here today as a reward for your great progress! Farewell, children, until next week!" And he was gone in a flurry of pink scintillating goodness.

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The two walked home together in higher spirits than normal, partially because they were much less bruised than they normally were, and also because it was still daylight. Roy was ahead once again; hands tucked behind his head, his face alight with a smile. "I guess today wasn't such a bad birthday after all," He said, looking over his shoulder at Riza. "I mean, it was a good breakfast, I bruised Armstrong-"

"You mean we," Riza corrected.

"Right, that's what I meant."

"Sure."

They arrived home with Mr. Hawkeye waiting for them. While they had been out, he had prepared some cake. Roy entered the kitchen, drooling. Shoving Riza into her seat, he took his place as well and eagerly awaited some cake. Mr. Hawkeye served a hunking slice to him, and he dug into it eagerly. Riza ate her piece slowly, and Mr. Hawkeye did the same.

So the night passed, relatively calm and peaceful. Climbing into bed, Roy sighed contentedly. It had been a good thirteenth birthday; the only thing that he regretted was spending multiple hours on a paper due the next day. He closed his eyes and began to drift off, but, just as he got comfortable, the door opened slowly and Roy noticed a small figure slip in.

Roy sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Riza?" He asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Sorry," She said softly. "I completely forgot until now," She came and stood by the side of his bed and began to fish inside of her pocket. Roy watched her for a second; unsure of exactly what she was doing. "Ah," She said, finding what she was looking for. She pressed something small into the palm of his hand and walked out of the room. "Happy birthday," She whispered, and she was gone.

Roy opened his hand to look at what it was. He squinted in the dim light, but he could just barely make out what was in the palm of his hand. It was a miniature horse, captured in motion, carved out of a small piece of wood. It looked extremely real and vivid in the night, Roy stared at it for a long time before getting up and going to his dresser, placing it in the same small chest he kept all the letters he received from his mother.

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Tada! Chapter 9! I'm so excited. Thankyou so much for all the reviews I've gotten from everyone-

-OtakuAnime131-

-Takako-

-smm-

-Anya-06-

-Puddles24-

-Suki dah Turdle-

-TearShield Alchemist-

-Priestess of the Souls-

-windxalchemist-

-Pharaohs Queen-

-ThatLittleBlondeAngel-

-inuyasha's lil sister-

-PrincessLuckyCML-

-Anicka-

-Pen Alchemist-

-Commander Zucchini-

-daiqiao154-

-flOofymikO-

-dingi-

-ShadowDreamer27-

-Falcon226-

-momiji-k-

-Cles-

-Tressa-

-pin0ts-

-SnakeCharmerFoxx-

-Gives a cookie to each of them- Holy crap, this list keeps growing! Wanna be on the list? Then review! Don't wanna be on the list? Review anyways! (when you review, I tell you when the next update is… come on, you know you wanna know…)


	10. A Vacation

The sun blared through the window in a blast of brilliant white light and shown into the simple white room, illuminating the corners and giving life to all the objects in the room which were few and far between. It was only a single bed, an old oak dresser and a desk. The floor was regular hardwood, and it was spattered with chalk and dabs of paint. Books lay scattered everywhere, papers were scattered haphazardly into the corners and dust was gathering. The shimmering tendrils of sunlight crept onto the bed, tentatively crawling over the white sheets that were massed together in the corner of the bed in an attempt to escape the heat. One beam cautiously poked at the face of the boy who was sprawled over the bed.

The blaring heat that had arrived the previous spring heralded the arrival of the summer season. School was closing, people retreating into the cool shade of their houses while others left on vacation to the mountains and other such desirable cool places. Roy, however, had taken none of these measures and woke finding himself drenched in sweat and even groggier than he had been when he fell asleep. Unsticking himself from the sheets and putting a hand in front of his face to shield his eyes from the intrusive sun, He pulled himself from the bed, stood up and yawned. He crossed over to the window and threw it wide, regardless of the fact that he stood in the room in only his boxers, in an attempt to coax a non-existent breeze. Finding no wind to soothe him, he walked over to the armoire and pulled out a shirt and pair of jeans and threw them over himself and opened the door and walked into the hallway.

Insomnia still plaguing him, he leaned against the closed bathroom door and pounded on the door. "Hurry up," He mumbled, pressing his sweaty forehead against the doorframe. A voice came from inside. "You'll have to wait. You overslept, I'm taking a shower."

Roy pounded his head on the door. "You always get to take one first!" He said, inserting a bang every now and then for emphasis. "I'm sweaty, gross and hot, and I want to take a shower."

"You can wait."

"No I can't! I'm gonna come in here and drag you out or something."

"You do and I will hit you so hard, you'll be knocked into tomorrow."

Roy groaned and slid to the floor. "Then hurry up, I need in there!"

There was no answer, only water started running. Of course, that sound was absolute pure torture to Roy. His throat grew dry and he thirsted after the sound of the water running. "Please hurry…" He moaned.

Either she didn't hear him, or she decided to ignore him. Roy closed his eyes and drifted off into a sweaty uncomfortable sleep until he heard some footsteps behind him. He sat up and wiped the sweat from his eye to stare at who was behind him. "Roy, you can go downstairs while you wait, you know," Mr. Hawkeye's voice spoke.

Roy shook his head. "Naw, I'll wait. I'd rather not be swimming in my own sweat while I wait," He said.

Mr. Hawkeye nodded and walked to the door and rapped on it. "Riza," He called. "Hurry up in there, please, we're leaving in one hour."

Roy stood up. "Leaving? Leaving where? Are we going somewhere?"

"I'm not staying here, we're going out to the lake for today. Your lessons will be suspended for today. When you get out of the shower, go change, and we'll get there."

Roy smiled and jumped out of his heat stupor. "Hai!" He ran to his room and began to delve through his drawers for his swimming trunks. Finding what he wanted, he threw them over his shoulder and ran into the now vacant bathroom and quickly washed himself.

When he finally finished, he ran downstairs to the kitchen where Riza and Mr. Hawkeye stood packing a cooler with some food and drinks. "Grab one of the sandwiches." Mr. Hawkeye said, motioning to a pile of sandwiches on the counter. Roy obediently went over and grabbed one and began to devour one. "When are we leaving?" He asked.

"As soon as we're packed," Mr. Hawkeye replied. "You can start taking some of the stuff out to the car." Roy shoved the rest of the sandwich into his mouth and picked up one of the giant towels draped over the back of the chair and carried it out to the car. When he got out there, Riza, who was carrying the giant picnic basket, soon followed him.

"Dad's coming," She said. "Get in the car."

Roy complied and got in quickly. Riza came in and sat next to him. After she fastened he seatbelt, she turned and looked him in the eye. "Now Roy, what do we do in the car?"

"Not fidget," He answered lazily.

"And what do we not ask?"

"If we are there yet because we will get there when we get there."

"Good boy." She smiled.

HE rolled his eyes and rested against the window, figuring it would be quicker to doze off in the care than to sit still and stare out the window like Riza did. Soon after he closed his eyes, Mr. Hawkeye opened the door and started the car. "Ok, we're off."

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When they got to the lake, it was extremely hard to find a place to park. It seemed everyone in Central had decided today was an opportune day to come to the beach and had all piled into the small parking lot. Roy emerged from the vehicle and squinted in the sun. He had slept the entire way up there, and by doing so had avoided Riza's wrath.

When they had finally found a spot on the beach, Roy removed his shirt and sighed. It had been so long since he had been to the beach; the last time he had been when he was five years old. HE turned to look around the beach, and smiled at what he saw. There were a bunch of children running around playing in the small bit of surf that the lake provided, and their parents were sitting in the shade of their umbrellas. Here and there, a young couple walked by holding hands, and in other places he saw them just sitting together. But what really caught his eye were the girls on the beach, his age and a little older, all in skimpy bathing suits. He chuckled softly to himself.

"What are you gawking at?" A voice said from behind him as he watched a particularly bosomy girl walk by. "Hehe, bikinis," He said smiling. As soon as he realized what he said, his eyes widened, and before he could turn around, he felt himself knocked to the sand with an enormous lump on the back of the head. He rolled over and looked at the offender who had knocked him over. Riza stood there, brandishing the umbrella. She herself was in purple two-piece, and when he saw her like that, Roy blushed. He covered his eyes and turned his attention back to the sand. "What?" Riza demanded. "Your gawking at those girls, and when you see me, you act like it's gross?"

"No! Just, you shouldn't be dressed like that," He mumbled, sitting up on his knees but still not looking at her.

"Why not?" She demanded. "Am I not girl enough or something?"

"No," He said, looking at her, but still not directly at her. "Just, guys will stare…"

"Oh, I see, so they are not allowed to stare at me, but you can go stare at anyone you want. My god, you are so perverted. I thought you hated girls anyways."

Roy stood up. "I don't hate girls, not anymore. I've known you for three and a half years, I hated girls when I first met you."

"Ah, I see. You've been deprived of girls for so long, that, now that you are a teenager, you have an uncontrollable lust for them. Makes sense." She turned swiftly and walked down the sand to the waves. Roy stared after her for a minute. How come all he could do was make her angry? Here was the girl who was like a sister to him, and is the one he cares about as if she really were his sister, and all he could do was drive her crazy. He sighed, and proceeded to walk down the beach after her, leaving Mr. Hawkeye to sit under the shade of the umbrella with yet another alchemy book.

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It didn't take long for him to find some friends. There were a bunch of guys there his age that were messing around with a hackeysack in the surf, and when it flew at him he caught it. "Hey! Give it here!" Called a boy with messy blonde hair. Roy ran over and threw it back at them. "Mind if I play?" He asked.

"Sure," Another one said. "All the more fun, I guess."

"So, you here cause it's hot?"

"Yeah."

"See anything neat here?"

"Some of those girls,"

"How old are you?"

"Thirteen,"

"Dude, me too! Well, actually, he's fourteen, but we're all gonna be freshmen in high school next year."

"Yeah," Another one put in. "Where do you go?"

"I have a private teacher," Roy said slowly.

"That's gotta suck," One of them said.

"Naw, it's not so bad, I get cookies every night."

"For what?"

"I don't know, my teacher's daughter makes them."

"IS she hot?"

"Um…"

"Dude, how's he supposed to answer that?" Another one of the guys said, elbowing the first in the ribs. "You can't have a crush on your teacher's daughter!"

"He'd probably kick me out," Roy said. "Besides, she's more of a sister than anything."

"Right," They said disbelievingly.

And so the hours passed, Roy with his new buddies running along the beach, sometimes standing to stop and look at a couple of girls nearby. "Hey," Said the blonde boy, nudging Roy in the ribs. "What do you think of that one, there?" He said, pointing out a girl who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen with long brown hair who was wearing a green bikini. Roy nodded. "She's pretty cute, I guess."

"I dare you to got talk to her."

"No way, man!"

"Awww come on!"

"You do it!"

"What? I'm not going!"

"You chicken or something?"

"Hell no!"

"Then why not?"

"Why won't you?"

"Cause, man, I've got some dignity!"

"Hey guys, look, over there, at that one," Another of the boys pointed out. "Check her out! She looks about our age, you might have a chance with her!"

"Who?"

"The blonde, over there, in the purple suit,"

"Her?"

"Yeah, the one in the short hair."

"Hey yeah, I wonder how old she is, I'm gonna go talk to her,"

Roy opened his mouth to stop him, but then thought better, considering Riza would more than likely blow up at him for being overprotective. So he just stood back with the rest of the boys as the blonde one ran up to talk with her. He bit his lip nervously. He knew the guy probably didn't mean any harm, but still, he didn't really like the thought of any guy liking Riza that way.

Riza looked up from the small pool filled with some of the lake's shells she was sitting at to the blond boy running over to her. She raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sun. "Can I help you?" She asked politely.

"Hey," The guy said. "I noticed you over here all by yourself, and I thought maybe you'd wanna come-"

"I'm twelve, you know, I have no interest whatsoever in you or a boyfriend for that matter." She said swiftly.

The guy raised his hand in defense. "Sorry, missy, I didn't mean anything that way. But you know, you should come hang out with me and my friends anyways."

"I'll stay here."

"Oh come on, why not?"

"I enjoy my solitude."

"You're pretty sophisticated for a twelve year old, you know?"

Roy bit further down on his lip as he watched him. He didn't like that this guy was talking to Riza like this, and he started to step forward to pull on the guy's arm. "Come on, let's just leave her ok?"

Riza looked at him. "I'm perfectly capable of handling myself, Roy," She said, standing up. "I don't need you to protect me from him. He didn't do anything wrong."

Roy stared at her open mouthed.

"I didn't-"

The blonde guy laughed. "Oh, is this that girl? Don't worry, I won't steal her from you or anything," He said, and turned back to the group, leaving Roy standing there in front of Riza.

"You can go now," She said, her eyes returning to the pool of shells.

"I-"

"Look, Roy, it's nice that you are looking out for me and all, but, I really honestly can handle myself, you can go hang out with them or whatever."

HE shrugged. "I've been with them all day, I might as well hang out with you for a while."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I mean it Roy, I can handle any guy or anything-"

'I know it," he said. "I've learned that enough times over the past three years. I want to stay with you."

"Even tough I'm dressed like this? You sure you won't freak out or anything like the first time?"

He nodded. "I know that you're a girl and everything, it doesn't really bother me," He said softy.

"Ok, good," Riza said, standing up and smiling at him. She grabbed his arm and led him to the water. "Let's go swimming, then."

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Mr. Hawkeye smiled from where he sat underneath the umbrella. Maybe he would have to call up his father in law and tell him that they may need to call the Mustang's about a dowry after all….

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OK, so there's chapter ten! Sorry if it's a little short, I had to study for my evil AP US history exam tomorrow… grr. So let me know how I did. Did I make Roy to mature for a thirteen year old? I tried to base him and the beach guys off of my friends, so let me know how I did. I also tried to add some fluff in here this time. :P Anyways, onto the thank yous! You get brownies this time!

Pen Alchemist , Anya-06 , OtakuAnime131 , flOofymikO , gundams forever , Commander Zucchini , icecrystal48 , Suki dah Turdle , Takako , daiqiao , TearShield Alchemist , inuyasha's lil sister , Shadow Dreamer 27 , -EFC- , Ranma Matsuri , gun-alchemist01 , Priestess of the Souls , Puddles24 , Greecian-Gurl , tOnIgHt iN Ur ArMs , PrincessLuckyCML , SnakeCharmerFoxx , dingi , Crystal Jaganshi , Pharaohs Queen , Cles , Anicka

You all rock my world! Review, you get your name on the list and notfication of when the next update will be!


	11. His Choice

He'd really gone stronger over the years. It was probably the thing he noticed most right about now. After nearly five years of studying with Hawkeye sensei, he stood in front of the mirror and studied himself. He smiled at his reflection that looked back at him. His chest had become well sculpted from all the sparring with Armstrong and Riza, and the two of them found they were able to hold their own against the giant Corporal. He had left a while back though, saying he was planning on studying alchemy as Roy did. Now that he was in his twenties, he was responsible for some age long tradition that had been passed down in his noble family and what not, and thus had to go study. He had nearly murdered Roy and Riza when he told them good bye and good luck, but the two had managed to survive. Now he sparred with Riza, though not as often. She had been busy with school quite a bit, and he had been working hard on his alchemy.

Although he had been studying with Mr. Hawkeye for five years, they had covered only the basics. Mr. Hawkeye said Roy had nearly perfected them, and Roy had asked if they would ever begin studying any specialized type. He was always told they would when he was ready, but for now, there was no more he could teach him. He'd been ready for years, he claimed, but Mr. Hawkeye laughed at him, asking what a fifteen-year-old boy would know of being prepared. So he let it die, and went on perfecting alchemy as best he could.

The past year had been bland, nothing enormous had happened that stuck out in his mind, nothing worth remembering. His days consisted of waking up, eating, reading for three hours, and then practicing transmutation with Mr. Hawkeye until Riza came home. Then they would eat, and he would ask to be excused to go work on another paper, and then Riza would bring him cookies. After all of these years, she still did that for him. On occasion, Mr. Hawkeye would send them on an errand into town, but normally, the days were monotonous.

On Saturdays, though, he would spar with Riza. She still always beat him when they sparred, even though he was probably stronger than she and older. She was too quick, and he did admit her strength was admirable. And she was even calmer nowadays, and her stoic attitude puzzled him some. What puzzled him more though was when she smiled. Sometimes Roy would see her come home from school and she would be smiling at nothing whatsoever.

That was about as interesting as life was right now, although he was enjoying it. It was calm and easygoing, and he might have stayed like that forever, but now there was something in the back of his mind that wouldn't leave him alone. He couldn't place a hand on it, but it was starting to drive him crazy. He noticed that his reflection was frowning at him, so he sighed and turned away from the mirror. Throwing a shirt on, he headed downstairs to breakfast. It was sort of cloudy today, but that didn't bother him. It was Saturday, which meant he wouldn't have to read this morning, and instead would be forced to fight with Riza.

As he entered the kitchen, he saw the object of his thoughts already sitting at the table with a glass of iced tea and a piece of toast. She had grown much taller, although Roy was still about four inches taller than she. He had to admit, she looked much more womanly now, and although her hair was still short and the only time he saw her wear a skirt was when she had to wear her school uniforms. But her body had developed nicely, Roy noticed, and he even began thinking that she might even be cute if she wasn't such a sister to him. The fourteen-year-old girl had one hand on the glass, and the other was thoughtfully holding a piece of notebook paper and humming softly to herself. A small smile was on her face. Roy eyed her nervously. This was not usual. She was always up before him, of course, she had to leave early to get to that school of hers, but she was almost never sitting at the table and humming. Glancing at her every once in a while, Roy made his way around the kitchen, getting some milk for some cereal. He sat down in his space at the table across from her, his bowl making a soft thud as it hit the surface of the table. Riza looked up suddenly, folded the note she was holding and set it in her lap. "Oh, good morning," She said.

He nodded at her, but then lifted his eyes to see what had become of the note, trying to look in her lap. Riza watched him nervously. "Um, Roy? What are you doing?" She asked him skeptically. He snapped back to reality and looked at her. "Oh, um, nothing… I was just wondering, um…" He stopped in mid sentence. Riza looked at him expectantly. "Yes?" She prompted him.

"Well, um, that is, I noticed that… you were, um, looking at something, and, that is, I just was thinking… that it was a little weird, that is, I mean, to um, see you…humming and, um, reading a note, and um, that is to say, I just… wanted to know what it… was, and um… maybe… why you were, um, I mean, you were looking at it all… weird…and smiling, and I dunno… I thought maybe…"

Riza sighed at his roundabout way of saying things. "Roy, you make no sense."

"Well, I just, um…"

"Spit it out before I'm tempted to throw this glass at you."

"I wanted to know what you were reading."

Riza stared at her lap for a moment before looking up at him. "No," She said simply, taking a sip of her iced tea. It took a moment for Roy to comprehend what she had just said. "No?" He repeated disbelievingly. "Why not?"

"It's not something I think you should see."

"But-"

"No."

"What if-"

"No."

"Can't I just-"

"No."

"What if I-"

"No."

"Is it about me?"

"No, Roy, give it up, I'm not gonna tell you."

"But… but… I showed you that letter from my mom when I first moved in!"

"Actually, I had to attack you to let me read it. And if you even try anything like that, I promise you will not be able to move for the next month."

"Aww, come on, Riza! Please?"

"Roy, the more you ask me, the less likely I am to show it to you."

"Is it from a boy?"

Riza's eyes widened ever so slightly, and a shadow of a blush crept over her cheeks. "Why would you say that?" She asked slowly.

"Oh, god it is isn't it?"

"Why would that matter to you, Roy?"

"Because! You don't know guys! They don't want a relationship, they want you! You're getting into a sinking ship, Riza! Sure, it will start off innocent, we'll write you notes, say cute things, yadda yadda, but all we really want is a kiss or something, and it doesn't matter who you are as long as you bear some resemblance to femininity! Some guys want more! This guy doesn't like you; he's not someone you can trust! You should throw that away and then go beat the crap out of him! He's gonna want you, he'll keep asking for more and more!" Roy was up and pacing now, Riza looking at him as if her were some specimen from a strange planet. "Trust me, Riza, I know, guys suck! They don't care about you at all. They only like you cause your pretty, I mean, when I see a really hot girl when we go into town, I don't think, 'hmm, I bet she has a great personality'!" Riza's mouth opened to say something, and then closed it deciding she would beat him for it later. If he said more now, she could go harder on him.

"Guys see girls as property! Property! You should dump him right now, or he'll take advantage of you! We only want you and your hot body!" He exploded.

At this moment, Riza's jaw dropped slightly. "Did you just say I have a hot body?" She asked incredulously, a blush forming over her cheeks. Roy's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. His mouth opened to say something, but no sound came out. He shut it, opened his mouth to try again. This happened several times before he found his voice. "No! No, I was referring to girls as a whole… I mean, I um…" Riza folded her arms and glared at him. "What I mean is, I don't think of you that way at all…"

"Then why did I just get a lecture on from you about why guy's are so dangerous?"

"Because… you're like a sister to me… I think…"

"Ok, then, let me ask you this. According to what you just told me, it's ok for you to go lusting after girls and wanting out 'hot bodies', but no one is allowed to like me and I'm not allowed to like them. Am I right?"

"…Yes… I mean... no… I mean… did I say that?"

"Not in so many words."

"Ah, well, ok, I think I'll skip sparring for today, and maybe I'll just-"

"Oh no you will not," Riza said cracking her knuckles threateningly. "We aren't breaking schedule today. I'll be outside waiting for you."

Roy gulped.

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Half an hour later, Roy limped into the house sporting a black eye, a twisted ankle, and a very sore back. He was mentally beating himself for trying to ever step into Riza's personal life. Riza walked in behind him looking rather pleased with herself. She walked past him to the sink to fill a glass with some water. She then turned to Roy who was sitting on a chair massaging his sore leg. "So, tell me, Roy, what did we learn today?"

_Never, ever, ever try to lecture you on guys. In fact, never lecture you period. Never say you have a hot body, never say you don't have a hot body. Don't tell you what goes on inside my head. Don't tell you what I think of girls_.

"Umm… Leave you and your personal life alone?" He asked carefully. Riza nodded. "Good boy," She said, emptying her glass and setting it in the sink. Roy sighed in relief that he had survived this beating. At that moment, there was a knock on the door. "I'll get it," Riza said, and headed to the front of the house. When she opened the door, she smiled. "Ji-chan!" She said excitedly. "I haven't seen you in a while, come in, come in!"

Lieutenant General Grumman smiled at his granddaughter and entered into the house and sat down on the sofa in the living room. "How are you, Riza-chan? He asked, looking at the array of books spread out before him. "I'm fine," She said, sitting down in the chair across from him. "Did you come to see dad?"

"As a matter of fact, I did. Is he here?"

"No, he ran into town a few hours ago, he should be back soon," She said. "You can stay, though, I'll go make some tea." She stood up and went into the kitchen to find Roy who was still nursing his sore leg. She walked past him and started to put some water into a pot to set on the stove. "Ji-chan is here," She said over his shoulder. Roy grunted. Riza continued. "Go out and sit with him while I make lunch, keep him company or something." Roy wearily stood up and obeyed. Now probably wasn't the best time to get on her nerves.

When he entered the room, he saw the old man setting up a chessboard on the coffee table. He looked up as Roy came and sat down across from him, and smiled. "Ah, hello there young man. Can I interest you in a game?"

Roy nodded and sat down and began to arrange his pieces. The old man spoke. "I haven't seen you in a while, now, Roy," He began. "How old are you now?"

"Fifteen, sir."

"Fifteen, my goodness!" The man exclaimed. "Almost a man, now, aren't you? I remember when you first came here; ten years old and quite a brat of one too." He chuckled. Roy blushed slightly. "Oh, I don't mean a word of it," The Lieutenant General said. "Old men like me, we make jokes that young people may never understand." He moved his pawn. "So, tell me," He continued. "How are your studies coming along?"

"Well, I've covered all of the basics, now. I think I might be doing relatively well." Roy moved his knight onto the field.

"Ah, but of course. My son in law tells me you have great potential. Says you're a natural. Brilliant." He deftly captured one of Roy's pawns with his bishop. Roy smiled and blushed slightly. "Did he say if we would be moving on to any specialized types of alchemy, soon?" He positioned his rook to take the bishop.

"Ah, no, he did not. But I am curious, why do you learn alchemy?" He moved the bishop to evade attack, and at the same time cornered another of Roy's pawns.

Roy thought for a moment. "Well, I guess it's because it's something I enjoy. It's something that can be put to good use in the world, and it's something that I could use to help people." He moved his piece out of the way.

"And what sort of job do you plan on taking once you are out of this place?" The old man said. He moved his queen forward one space.

"I… hadn't really thought about that yet. I was going to travel for a while, I think, and then find something I really want to do." He moved his rook to capture the Lieutenant General's pawn.

Grumman stared at the chessboard for a minute. "Ah, of course. Young people always want to travel. Where do you plan on going?" He captured Roy's rook with his queen.

"Hmm..." Roy said, squinting at the chessboard. "I really have always wanted to see Xing, or the ruins of Xerxes." He pulled his knight back to a safe place.

"East, then, eh? You should be careful. There's rumors of discontent among the Ishbalans, some of our troops have already been sent there." He placed a pawn deeper within the field. "Have you ever considering joining the military? You receive a good education, and you get to travel all over. We have need of skills in alchemy like yours."

"A state alchemist?" Roy queried, looking over the board. "Sensei would never teach me if I were to do something like that. Besides, I couldn't pass the test with just the basics of alchemy." Roy moved his queen up and took a pawn.

"But that is your decision, isn't it? Your life is your own, you control your own future." He moved a pawn to capture one of Roy's.

"I guess," Roy said. "But before I make any decisions, I'd like to travel and see the world some." He retreated his rook from the wrath of the Lieutenant General's queen.

"Of course, of course. When do you plan on leaving?" He took the rook Roy had moved with a pawn.

Roy sighed. "Well… I wanted to leave when training was over, but it seems like Hawkeye sensei has taught me all that he can. He said so yesterday." Roy took the pawn that had snatched away his rook with one of his pawns.

"Well, fifteen was when I left home. I traveled around for a while too, until I met my wife. And then I joined the military. I don't regret anything that I've done from there." He closed his queen in on Roy's bishop.

"Maybe I'll leave now then. Tomorrow. Yeah… I think I'll do that." He saw an opening. Moving his knight, he placed it before the king. "Check," He said.

"Well, I wish you the best of luck Roy." He moved his queen back and took the offending night. He smiled. "Checkmate."

Roy looked at the board incredulously. Then he smiled. "Good game, sir," He held out his hand. The Lieutenant General shook it. "You too, son."

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The rest of the day was spent in his room. He had the door shut, so Riza assumed that he was studying. She let him alone, and retired to her own room to read a novel she had been given a while ago by Roy on her birthday.

As the day grew later, however, she heard him moving things around, things were rustling, and she was about to go storm over there to keep him quiet, but then decided better. She'd tortured them enough today.

At dinner, Roy hardly spoke. He rushed back up to his room as soon as he had finished. Riza watched him go suspiciously. He was acting strangely.

The next morning, Riza heard voices from downstairs. "… you are sure?" Her father's voice.

"Yeah, I know it is sudden sensei, but it is something I have to do, I guess." Roy.

"I understand. I was young and ambitious, but I expect you to come back."

"I know sensei, I will. I have to finish training."

There was silence for a while, and Riza thought she had dreamed the whole thin, but then her father spoke again. "I've given you five thousand cens," he said. "That should be enough to get you started."

"Thankyou, sensei."

"Riza will be mad at you."

There was silence again.

"I know," Roy's voice said, "But I don't really want to wake her up."

"It's fine, I'll tell her."

"Thankyou."

"Goodbye, Roy."

"Goodbye, sensei."

Riza sat up suddenly, her mind realizing what was happening. He was leaving.

She jumped out of bed and threw on a shirt that had been left on the floor the night before. That jerk was leaving and he wasn't even going to say goodbye! She hadn't been that hard on him, had she? She threw on some pants and flew down the stairs to the kitchen. Her father was sitting at the table with coffee and the newspaper. He looked up at her. "Riza-" He began, but she rushed past him, grabbing a cookie out of the jar and shoving it into her pocket. "Riza, wait!" but she didn't hear him. She was already out the front door and sprinting down the road.

He hadn't gotten far. He had a large pack on his back, and he didn't hear her footsteps behind him. Riza felt anger building in her. She pulled the slingshot out of her pocket and picked a pebble up off of the ground.

Roy felt something slam into the back of his head, and he stumbled forward. He dropped his pack, and reached up and rubbed the back of his head. "Ow…" He murmured. He turned his head and saw Riza running after him. He stood up slowly and turned to see Riza running after him. "Riza…" He said.

She caught up to him, her breathing slightly heavy. "You jerk." He looked at her softly. "I'm sorry," He said. "I didn't want to wake you up, and I thought…"

"You jerk," She repeated. She dug into her pocket and pulled out the cookie. "For the road, ok?" She handed it to him.

"Thanks," He said dumbly, accepting the cookie like it was time bomb. "You aren't gonna kill me or anything?"

She shook her head. "No, you still have your black eye, it wouldn't be fair."

He smiled. "Thanks."

"You're coming back, right?"

"Of course."

"Ok, see you then."

He smiled. "See ya."

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There you go, a longer chapter to make up for the short one. Sorry for the giant time lapse since last chapter, but I felt that this was the best way to continue things. And it is not over! Not yet! There are at least five more chapters coming!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed last time!

Commander Zucchini , windxalshemist , Purple Artichokes from Mars , Inu Tachi lover , Pharaohs Queen , Ranma Matsuri , flOofymikO , gundams forever , Tressa , Suki dah Turdle , DaQiao154 , inuyasha's lil sister , Shadow Dreamer 27 , Cles , Takako , TearShield Alchemist , Dailenna , dingi , Anya-06 , ThatLittleBlondeAngel , SnakeCharmerFoxx , gun-alchemist01 , OtakuAnime131 , PrincessLuckyCML , and Anicka! Thanks also to Remus'gal for her reviews in chappies 6&2.

Thanks to you guys, I have over 200 reviews! Whoohoo! So, you read, you should review. When you review, you get on the list and I tell you when the next update will be. Till next time! Oh yeah, and im changing the name of the story to Childhood Origins, cause yeah, the'yre starting to grow up, not quite kids anymore, huh?


	12. Her Decision

It had been a week since he had left. The house had fallen uncharacteristically quiet. It had taken a while to completely register in Riza's mind that Roy wasn't going to be home when she got there. The first day she had arrived home from school she had nearly called out to him that she was home, and had to stop herself. Even though there was no one there to hear her call out, she still felt like a fool.

The days were relatively boring now, Riza had no one to spar with, and her dad was always too busy with alchemic research to give her any time. Her friends at school were great, but she still felt rather alone now that someone who had lived with her for five years was gone.

She was walking home today, the sky was dark and the breeze was stronger. The air smelled like rain and the clouds above were full of tension. She walked slowly, letting the humid air calm her, just a little bit at a time.

"Chichi-ue, I'm home!" She called as she walked into the door. She set her backpack down and ran her fingers through her hair slowly. There was no answer from her father, so she walked into his study to check and see if he was in his study, absorbed once again in his notes. She peeked her head around the door, and saw her father hunched over a piece of paper. She decided not to disturb him and turned to leave, but he called her name. "Riza," He turned toward her. "I need to talk to you."

She turned silently and reentered the room. "What is it?" She asked slowly. It wasn't normal that he asked to talk to her, and when he did it was normally serious. The last time she remembered him asking her to speak with him was the day before Roy had moved in. She came and stood next to him. "Is something going on?"

"Well, there is, in a way. Come here."

He extended his arms to her and offered his lap to ask her to come and sit with him. Now, this was strange. He was being unusually fatherly, and this would normally mean something bad had happened. She didn't crawl into his arms though, as he had expected her to. "Chichi-ue, you don't have to do that. I'm fourteen," She said.

He sighed. "Of course. I still see you as my little girl though... I have been so busy lately, Riza, please forgive me."

She nodded and moved a bit closer to him. "What's wrong?" She asked.

He took a deep breath. "Riza, do you remember when I was sick, all those years ago? You were three years old, and your mother… she was worried so much, and you... you must have been to young to understand then-"

"I remember," Riza said slowly. "If only a little. You were coughing a lot, and mom kept telling me that it would be ok. I think she was more telling herself, though."

Mr. Hawkeye nodded. "I know. She was always lecturing me then… But, anyways, Riza, I went to the doctor again today."

A small fear slowly began to grow inside her chest. Why was he telling her this? He went to the doctor often enough, he was very healthy, it seemed, what was he trying to say? "Chichi-ue, I don't understand."

"Riza," He said, setting an arm around her shoulder. "Do you… do you remember me from before your mother died?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I?"

"Do you remember what I looked like?"

"Pretty much like you do now, I think, but why does this matter?"

"Well, when I was younger, I was handsome, believe it or not," he said smiling. "I used to chase girls around, and I had a few running after me as well. But, when your mother died… I… The doctor says I let myself go. He kept telling me I needed to try my best for you, Riza, but god, Riza, it's been so hard lately. You look so much like your mother… I…"

Riza swallowed, still not comprehending where in the world this was going. "The doctor says that once people have the disease I had when you were young, they become prone to getting it again." He took a breath. "When I saw him again today, he said I had become worse. He thinks that I've contracted it again."

"But it'll be okay, right? You're gonna be okay?"

He shook his head. "Riza, my girl, listen to me. The doctor says the strain of the virus I've contracted is not treatable. Most people who get it normally only live a year or so."

Riza bit her lip, fear in her chest becoming stronger and more violent. "But... you can fix it with alchemy, right? You know everything there is to know, it's all gonna work out, right?"

"I need you to listen to me. I'm trying my best for you right now. But I need to ask you something. You know all of my research, right? You have it memorized, right?"

"Chichi-ue… I know it, I know the basis and everything, and you taught me-"

"This alchemy is my life's work, Riza, you understand this?" His hands were on her shoulders now, and he was squeezing her. "I need it to live on, but I cannot right it down. I can't risk it ever being discovered by anyone else."

"I don't understand," She said, her voice quivering. He was scarring her. "Chichi-ue, please, what-"

"I'm not sure I'll be able to pass this down to another alchemist, I'm not sure I'll be here long enough-"

"Roy," She said. "You should be telling this to Roy, not me," She said.

"He's still a foolish boy, I can't give him this to him until he's ready, but I don't know if I'll be here to do that."

She nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I think I understand, Chichi-ue, but, I don't know everything you have."

"You do, Riza, I know it. You've read all the manuscripts, right? You know how it all works. Do you know the circle?"

She shook her head. "You never showed that to me,"

"I wasn't sure you would know." He leaned away from her and shuffled through the papers on his desk, pulling out an extremely old piece of parchment. On it was an exquisite circle. It was so much more complex than the ones that she was used to. There was more to it than just the circle, there was also writing that went around it and things out side of it. "You see it?" Her father asked. She nodded. "Good." And he tore it into small pieces and threw it into the fireplace. "Chichi-ue!" Riza exclaimed. "I don't remember it, draw it again o I can study-"

"It cannot stay in writing for you to study, my dear," He said softy. "There is no way for you to learn or memorize it."

"But then, how will I-"

"I know it. For now know it. I could draw it at anytime, if the need should arise."

"But that still doesn't explain how I'm supposed to learn this so I can continue what you started."

"I know, Riza, I know. We'll figure it out. I just needed you to know that much for now. We'll think of something."

Riza sighed. "I can't think of anyway I could give anyone the knowledge is I don't know it and it's not written anywhere. But I can't just let it go either, Chichi-ue, please, write it down, just give me a week, if I'm supposed to do this for you-"

"No!" He said with such force she was thrown back. "It can't be left on paper."

"Then…"

"Don't worry about it for now."

"No, chichi-ue, this is your life's work, I don't want-"

"It'll be ok, don't worry so much for now, I told you, we have time-"

"You don't know that!" She nearly exploded, tears threatening to crack the mask she wore. "We don't know how long…" She trailed off, unable to bring herself to say the words she needed.

"Shh, shh," he said soothingly. "It'll be alright. I promise." He held out his arms again, and this time she accepted it, letting him enfold her into an embrace. "It will be ok, I promise."

She was silent for a moment, just enjoying this closeness she rarely received from her father. He had been so cold and distant to her, but she loved him. She was his daughter after all. She would help him to carry on his legacy. "Use me," She murmured into his shoulder.

HE pushed her away. "What?"

"Draw the array on me."

"Riza, no, I couldn't do that to you, there would be people who would try to-"

"And how would they know that it was on me? I'm not going to go around showing it to people, I'm not so careless."

"Where, though, there isn't somewhere it could go without being seen, I-"

"Put it on my back. No one will see it, chichi-ue, and I would never show it to them."

"What if something happened, though? What if someone tried to take advantage of you?"

"I can look after my self, I promise. Please, chichi-ue, it's the only way, right? You can't explain it, right?"

"No, you'd have to see it…"

"Then this is the only way without putting it onto paper, right?"

He nodded solemnly. "You're right," He said softly. "I don't want you to have to do this for me, Riza."

"But I want to, chichi-ue. I'm our only child right? It's what I'm supposed to do. Don't worry."

"Alright. Alright," He said shakily. "We'll do it tomorrow night, ok? I'll have to figure to exactly how to do it right… I can't hurt you…"

"I'll be fine. I promise."

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"Are you ready?" He asked softly.

She nodded. To be honest, she wasn't to keen on having him perform alchemy on her back to infuse the paint with her skin, but she knew she would do it. It was her father, after all, and she loved him. She had to continue what he had begun.

"Ok, I'm going to do it now. It won't hurt, I promise."

She nodded again, and she felt him press his cold fingers against the bare skin on her back.

It was possibly the most eerie sensation in the world.

She could feel the light of the transmutation circle. It ran down her spine like mercury, a thin line of fire that did not burn. It then spread over the whole of her back, and she felt the paint meshing with the cells of her skin. It was cold, as if someone was pouring ice water through her veins. She shuddered slightly, but it wasn't visible. It was over sooner than it had started. She felt completely normal, nothing felt out of place.

Her father stepped back from her and looked at it. "It's perfect," He said, and she could hear him smiling. She reached a hand back and gingerly rubbed the skin. It was smooth, and there was no pain or anything.

She pulled her shirt the rest of the way on and turned back to face her father. He beamed at her and held open his arms again. She hugged him. "Thank you,"' he whispered in her ears.

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"You fool," He said, his voice seeping with venom. "Why would you do such a thing?"

He was yelling at her. She held her ground and stood still. "I had to." She replied in a monotone. "Why would you be so foolish, Riza? Why would you go against everything I taught you, why would you throw away your heritage?"

"I'm continuing my heritage."

"Don't give me that bullshit, Riza. You know damn well I would never let you do this!"

"Mom would have. Ji-chan wanted me too as well."

"Your mother is dead!" He howled. "And your father is the one who should be able to decide what you do with your life."

"It's my own life," She retorted, her voice rising slightly.

"Not anymore it isn't, you've thrown it away! You are a foolish little girl, you don't know anything! You know what happened to your mother!"

"It's because of her," She said.

"After all I've done for, entrusted you with everything that I am-"

"I'm not throwing you away, chichi-ue!"

"You cast off my name the moment you signed that paper, you didn't even ask!"

"You wouldn't have let me. Ji-chan signed instead."

"He is senile! You can't expect-"

"Don't you insult him! He's the one who practically raise me after mom died; you were locked in your room with your books! You don't know who I am, you don't know anything! All you cared about were your books. If you knew how I felt, what I've been through, if you listened to Ji-chan, you'd know why I have to do this!"

"Riza…"

"Don't! Don't try to come onto me all fatherly now! I know who you are, you're selfish! You tell me your dying, and before you even comfort me, you insist I carry on your alchemy! I don't regret what I did because you're my father and I love you, but you don't even understand who I am or what I need!"

She turned on her heel and left the room. Mr. Hawkeye fell backwards and sat in his chair. He rubbed his head and sighed. He looked again at the paper he held in his hands.

_Amestris Military Academy_

_Dear Sir or Madam,_

_We are pleased to inform you that enrollment has been confirmed for your child,_

_Riza Hawkeye._

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A/N- Ok…There we go. I think this was the hardest chapter to write…. Sorry for the lack of Roy, he'll be in the next chapter. So, yeah, that's my theory. Hope it's not too out there,

Thankyou reviewers for the last chapter! I love you all! You each get a cherry tart this time!

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Review, you get some sort of pastry and a notification of when I'm planning on updating. Don't review and I'll sick my rabbit on you.


	13. Seperate Journeys

The train car was nearly empty. At first there had been a multitude of people and Roy had been crammed into a back corner and squashed into a wide variety of uncomfortable positions. But most everyone had gotten off by now. At the moment, there were only two people left on the car. There was an old woman who was snoring softly as well as a boy about his age. Normally, Roy might have gone over and tried to strike up a conversation, but he was still a little confused and dazed. He had never really traveled on his own, and was sort of unsure how to act. Normally he had Riza to annoy, and before that his sisters and parents. But now he was alone. Part of it was a relief, and part of it was sort of depressing.

He didn't regret his choice now. He was going east now. He couldn't afford to go as far as Xing or even Xerxes, but he missed the east where he was born, and decided to go sightseeing around the town and once again become familiar with the surroundings. Perhaps he would find an odd job and a small in to stay at since has family had moved west since he had gone to study alchemy.

Meanwhile, he was still on the train, comfortable, but still bored stiff. He noticed the boy a few seats up looking at him strangely, an amused look in his eyes that were hidden by square framed glasses. Roy looked back at him and raise on eyebrow. "What?" He asked, just a little nervously. It was strange having someone look at him like that.

"Are you Xingese?" The boy asked, his eyes remaining fixed onto Roy's.

"What?"

"Are you Xingese? You have slanty eyes. And really dark hair. You look like the Xingese people in my books."

"…I don't know. Maybe. My family is from the east… so… I don't know."

"Oh you wanna see pictures of my family?"

"No, really, I don't-"

But before he could resist at all, he had multiple pictures of a man, a woman, and the boy shoved under his nose. "That's my mom. And that's my dad. And that's me!" The Roy said, pointing to each of the people in turn.

"Oh really, I would never have guessed." Roy sighed angrily, leaning back into his seat. "And that's why I was pointing it out," The boy replied, obviously not catching the sarcasm or implications of Roy's gestures and tone. "I have more, wanna look?"

"N-no thanks."

"Are you sure? I've got so many-"

"No."

"Oh, ok."

Roy closed his eyes and tried to shut the boy out. Maybe he would go away now. "Hey, hey!" Or not.

"What's your name?"

Now he knew how Riza felt. When he saw her again, he'd have to tell him he'd found someone more annoying than himself.

"Well?"

"Well what?" Roy snapped.

"What is your name?"

"Roy."

"Really? That's not very Xingese-ish. I thought it would be something like Rei Fan, or Ling, or San Ho, or Ming Ran, or Yang, or Chi Han, or-"

"Ok, ok, I get it"

"Oh. Well, where are you going?"

"East."

"To Xing?"

"No, I don't have enough money."

"But if you're from there-"

"I don't know if I am or not!"

"But, you said your family was from the east-"

"As in East City!"

"Oh…"

Silence again. Maybe now he would leave.

"I'm Maes, by the way."

Or not. Again.

He opened his eyes and squinted at the boy. He was maybe a few inches taller than him, it seemed. His head and jaw were squarish. Over all, he was relatively funny looking, and plenty annoying.

The train gave a small lurch and began to slow to a halt. "Oh, this is my stop." Roy said, starting to stand up. Maes stood up as well. "Really? Mine too!" And so Roy was followed off the train by an annoying picture wielding maniac.

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"So, are you staying anywhere?"

"I dunno yet."

"You should come stay with my family. Mom would be glad to have you."

"No, really it's ok, I was gonna stay at an inn-"

"No, come on! My mom's a really good cook! She can make all sorts of stuff." Maes said excitedly. Of course, at that exact second, Roy's stomach grumbled. Maes smiled. "Come on, I'll take you to my place."

"Um, are you sure your mom wouldn't mind? I mean, I just met you, and all, so-"

Maes waved his hand. "Naw, she's pretty cool for a mom. I mean she let me enroll in the military academy. I'm on leave right now."

"You're in the military academy? How old are you?"

"I'm fifteen."

"Whoa," Roy said. Maes raised an eyebrow. "I mean… I sort of thought you were younger than that, cause, um…"

"I'm immature?" Maes said. Then he smiled. "I know. I've heard it enough from my parents. And to be honest, I don't really care."

Roy almost smiled. "SO, um, why did you sign up for the military, anyways?"

"Um… I think cause I wanted to travel, and be a part of the government. That's pretty cool. I've always been into stuff like investigations and stuff. So, yeah, I guess."

"That's a creative way to end a sentence."

Maes glared. "Shut up. I'll say what I want."

This time Roy did smile. This kid was weird, to be sure, but more than defiantly interesting.

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In truth, this school wasn't too much different from her old one. The courses were maybe a bit more rigorous, not to mention P.E. had developed into all out training. Since it was only her first year there, they did not have marksmanship yet, rather, they would have that class when they turned 16. Still two more years. She didn't mind though, she actually didn't want to have to pick a gun until no other choice presented itself.

The classes were large, but very rigorous. She found that studying became a much more nightly task, even though the curriculum was similar to her old school. People were mostly nice, though. There was a girl who shared four of her classes, Melanie, who she had become relatively good friends with. She contrasted Riza in several perspectives in looks and personality; for example, her hair was long and very dark, and she was much more open and talkative than Riza herself, but Riza got along quite well with her.

Other than that, Riza hadn't made much of an effort to get to know very many people. Rather, she buried herself in her studies and her training. She hardly talked to her father anymore. All that remained was a simple nod or hello, but he had all but disowned her for joining the military. Some of this hurt her, but she knew what she was doing was what she wanted to do, and so, rather than spending time with her father, she would often talk to her grandfather.

This morning, she was tired from studying for an exam the night before, so as she headed through the crowded halls, she didn't really notice where she was going, and as a result, ran straight into someone, knocking them on the floor, and dropping her books her self. She mumbled an apology, and bent to gather her books, not even really looking at the person's face.

"Well, if this isn't a familiar sight," A voice said. Riza stood up off of the ground and looked at the person she ran into. Although he was older, she recognized the bright blue eyes ad blonde hair.

"Well, missy, I believe this is the second time you've knocked me over."

"For all intents and purposes, I believe the last time I was merely an observer."

"Ah, of course. Your bodyguard was the one who did it last time. By the way, I'm not sure I remember your name."

"Riza Hawkeye," She told him again. "And you are Havoc-kun, correct?"

He smiled. "To be sure. So, Hawkeye-san, what is your next class?"

"Math."

"Ah, then let me escort you," He said, bowing, a smirk evident on his face.

"I appreciate it, Havoc-kun, but I can handle myself." She said, somewhat sarcastically."

"Naw, I'm heading there anyways too. Guess I never noticed you had the same classes I did." And so they walked.

"Say, Hawkeye-san, why'd a pretty little girl like you join the military academy?"

"It runs in my family," She replied coolly. "And just so you know, flattery will get you nowhere."

He held his hands up defensively. "Hey, can't blame a guy for trying, can you?"

"Perhaps, it depends on what his endeavor is."

"Damn, you sound sophisticated."

"Adding profanity to your vocabulary, while colorful, does not make it any more appealing."

"Fine, fine! You're a tough nut to crack, you know that?"

"Thank you, I know. So, I have told you why I joined, why don't you tell me your reason?"

He shrugged. "I grew up in the country. I lived on a farm with my parents for a while, and I decided I was sick of it and came to the city."

The two had reached the class, and Riza walked in and sat next to Melanie. Jean took a seat across the room next to a larger guy with red hair, but tried to catch her attention and winked at her. Riza rolled her eyes. "Guys and their hormones," She muttered to herself.

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Roy sat at the dinner table with an enormous plate of delicious looking food in front of him. Maes had brought him to his house, and it seemed his mother was just as willing to befriend Roy as her son had been. She had immediately invited him into her house, and insisted on serving him dinner.

"So, Roy-kun," She said, looking at him form across the table. "What brings you here to East city? Are you on a vacation?"

He nodded after taking a huge bite of food. "I guess I'm sort of taking a break from studying with my teacher," He said, shoveling more into to his mouth.

"Oh, do you have a private teacher, or something?" Roy nodded. "Is he a specialty sort of teacher?" Roy swallowed and nodded again. "Yeah, I've been living with him and his daughter for five years, studying. I just wanted to get out I the world a bit before I decided what to do with my life."

"That makes sense. Well, you are most defiantly welcome to stay here for as long as you like."

"Thank you."

"Actually, if you are looking to earn money to travel some more, I know a small shop in need of some help."

"Thanks again."

She smiled at him with that 'mother knows all' sort of smile. "Any time."

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"So, what did you study?"

"Huh?"

Roy was climbing the stairs in the Hughes' house to the guest room, or rather, his room for the time being. He looked now at Maes who had posed the question. "What sort of stuff did you study with you teacher?" The square-headed boy repeated.

"Um, well, we did a little bit of math and other stuff, like regular school, and I did training a lot, like physical training-"

"I thought you said he was a specialty teacher."

"Well, yeah, I mean, I learned most everything I know from him."

"Most everything of what?"

"Oh, alchemy."

Maes nearly dropped the suitcase he was helping Roy carry. "You're an alchemist?"

"Um, yeah, sort of. I only know the basics and stuff, but-"

"You gotta show me!"

Roy huffed a bit as they reached the top of the stairs. "Umm, ok. Sure, but, really, I'm not that good."

"At least you can do it!"

"Yeah..."

"Then come on, I've got a ton of stuff for you to fix!"

"Fix?"

"Yeah, isn't that what you guys do?"

"Well we can-"

"Great, I'll get all the stuff!"

Roy sighed. This was going to be a long night…

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A/N: Ok, so I was defiantly watching lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, EXTENEDED EDITION! while I wrote this. It would have been funny to watch me. I always squealed and almost drooled whenever I saw my favorite sexy Elf. –drools- Elrond…. Lol, j/k, Legolas is the one and only Elf hotness in the movie. (The book though, Glorfindel is pretty darn smexy sounding) Ok, there's my LOTR rant.

SO, what do you think? I finally gave you some Hughes-ness. You've been begging for him, so here he is! Lol, I love him so much. Any mean things I said about him were solely Roy's opinions, since I thought he would be annoying to Roy at first, (all hail the pictures) in fact, Roy always seems kind of annoyed with him in the anime and manga too. But you know he loves him. (no yaoi connotation whatsoever. Roy belongs to Riza. SO there.)

Sorry for the shortness of this chapter. Next one will be longer. Really. Thanks to all who reviewed for my last chapter. I'm so glad you guys didn't crucify me. Oh, and by request, all reviewers get strawberry shortcake this time! And next chapter, you get doughnuts and sprinkles. . I got a lot of new reviewers this time. You rock!

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TearShield Alchemist , Cles , Takako , gun-alchemist01 , -EFC- , Dailenna , Anicka , OtakuAnime131 , SnakeCharmerFoxx

SO, once again: Review, and you get a notification of when the next update would be, and a doughnut. If not, I'll tell Hughes where you live. –evil grin-


	14. Emerging Pathways

The days passed quickly now. He had been away for a few weeks, and all the while he had been staying at Maes' house. It was sort of strange, being able to spend all of his time with a guy his age, and truth be told, it was a nice break. He had enjoyed living with Riza and her father, but he still loved getting time with some other guys.

So far, he had been all over the time. He had obtained a few odd jobs, mostly helping to repair things. Once he had fixed the thousands of old broken cameras Maes kept in his room, the over eccentric boy had run around town giving the news to all the old acquaintances of the genius alchemist prodigy who could fix anything.

The jobs paid pretty decently, and Roy had saved up a decent sum, and so he began to pay Mrs. Hughes for letting him stay at the house. At first she was unsure of whether or not she would let him, but when he insisted, she finally let consented. It was strange how fast he had become friends with Maes. Although he was an annoying, camera-wielding maniac, there was something about him that sort of passed normal judgment. He turned out to be an extremely loyal friend, in all reality. He worked hard at things, and it was something he couldn't really have found in many other people.

He still studied alchemy there. At nights he would stay up and reread some of the older books that he had received to brush up on some of his skills. He didn't write papers, though. It was one of the few things he absolutely did not miss.

This particular morning, he lay in bed contemplating the possibilities of what was going to be done today. It was still early, and the sunlight that filtered through the curtains promised a nicer day out than the rain that there had been yesterday. If he had still been living with Mr. Hawkeye and Riza, he might have gone out and sparred that day. As it was, there was no one really to spar with. Well, Maes, maybe. He would have to remind himself to ask.

He stood up from the bed and walked over to the small dresser that he had alchemized out of some driftwood. He pulled out an old shirt and threw it on. Waling out into the hallway, he knocked on Maes' door. "Oi, Maes," He called. "Are you up yet?"

"Yeah," Came the sleepy reply. "I'm coming, I'm coming."

The door opened to reveal the other teen standing there in just some jeans, rubbing his glasses. "What?" He asked groggily. "You're up early, did someone die or something?"

"No," Roy said, leaning against the doorway. "Nothing happened, I just was wondering if you wanted to spar or something, today." The other boy put on his glasses and looked at him. "Are you trying out for something, or what? I mean, I know I would want to spar, I'm at the Academy, but-"

Roy blinked once and rolled his eyes. "It's something I always used to do at my sensei's house. And, it's nice out, so why not?"

Maes ran a hand through his hair. "Agh, fine. Just let me take a shower, ok?"

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The weeks passed very quickly for her. Days at school blurred into fuzzy memories. One if her most recent memories was of one day in her PE class. She and Melanie had come from the locker rooms and were waiting for the teacher to give them the assignment. They sat together on the end of the room, discussing classes and classmates. They were slowly being paired off into groups of three, she noticed, so the two girls had stopped talking and moved to the front.

"Hey, missy," A familiar voice said. Riza turned to look over her shoulder at the blonde-haired blue-eyed boy who stood behind her. "Hello, Havoc-kun," She said politely, not really paying him all that much heed. She turned back to her friend and awaited the assignment.

"Missy," The voice repeated. "I think we're in the same group. You, me, and Breda here." He said, indicating a rather large red haired boy behind his shoulder. "When did you find this out?" She asked, turning to face him.

"I talked to sensei before class. Hope you don't have anything against it, missy."

"No, not at all."

Havoc flashed her a toothy grin. "Good. Lets go get or assignment. I heard it was some wilderness survival thing. Hope your not scarred of bugs, missy."

"If I were afraid of bugs, then I do not believe I would have signed up for something as serious as the military." Melanie tapped her on the shoulder. "Riza-chan, I got assigned to another group, so I'm going to go with them, so I'll see you around, ok?"

Riza nodded t her friend, and turned to Havoc and Breda who stood behind her. "Alright, so today is a planning day, so I expect you two to cooperate. Breda-kun, please get some paper for me, Havoc-kun, get pencils."

Havoc chuckled. "Quite used to giving orders now, are we?" Breda smiled along with his friend. "Yeah, why don't you go get the stuff?"

"Because, I will be the one doing the writing. Now if you do not mind, I would appreciate if you would go and follow orders."

Havoc put up his hands defensively. "Yes, ma'am," He chuckled. "We'll go."

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"Damn, Roy," Maes said rubbing his sore neck. "Where did you learn that sort of stuff?"

Roy smiled at his friend. For once he had emerged the winner of a fight, and he was feeling elated and proud of himself. "Well, I guess you could say I've learned from a variety of places. My old instructor used some pretty… unique moves, but most of those I actually picked up from my instructor's daughter."

"A girl?" Maes laughed. "To think you would be beaten by a girl…"

Roy regarded his friend strangely. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked defensively.

"Well, see, most of the girls around here have been talking about nothing but you." Maes said, sighing. "Its rather annoying lately. Do you have any idea how many people have come up asking me who the handsome alchemist was who was staying with me was." He shook his head. "I can't understand it, though."

Roy smiled. "They think I'm handsome?" He laughed. "Well… maybe I'll have to pay them a visit…"

Maes laughed at his friend. "Oh, no, dear god, not a sixteen year old playboy. It's the last thing we'll ever need."

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"Have you finished yet?"

Riza said, standing over the two other boys out in the middle of the forest. They were busy trying to build up a fire out of some dead brush, but so far, all they had managed to do was make a tiny bit of smoke. Riza, however, being both supervisor and constructor of their lodgings, was beginning to lose her patience.

"You realize that you are doing it wrong."

"Well, then by all means do it for us, missy." Havoc said, looking up at her.

She sighed, bent down and took the sticks and flint from the two of them. "While I do this, why don't you go and find some food, please."

Breda and Havoc sighed and righted themselves and trotted off to find some food. Riza then turned to her attention to starting the fire. It was slow, but steady. Finally, small tendrils of smoke began to appear, and the embers of the fire began to glow. Satisfied, she turned to go find the boys.

She found them sitting in the tent she had constructed playing cards. It seemed Breda was winning, because Havoc was glaring and Breda grinning brightly.

"What are you two doing?"

Both boys sat up instantly and looked at her. "Ummm.." They said uneasily. Riza sighed and placed her hand on her forehead. "Forget it. Both of you get to work. Now."

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"So, Roy, what are you gonna do with your life?"

Roy looked over at his friend who was looking at him over his sandwich. "I mean, Maes continued. "You've been here for a while, and I thought you said you had to go back to your teachers, but from there on, what are you going to do? Personally, I think you should sign up to become a state alchemist."

Roy raised an eyebrow. "I don't think so."

"Why not? You make good money, and you'd have all the privileges and such."

"No."

"Come on, I thought you said your girlfriend was planning on joining the military, and I'm there too, so, why not?"

"Well, I mean, she said she would, yeah, but her dad-"Roy stopped himself. "Wait, she's not my girlfriend, she's my teacher's daughter!"

Maes smirked. "Sure, sure."

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The next morning, the groups received their evaluations for their projects. Riza's group had the highest scoring. Breda and Havoc, however, weren't impressed. "Never again," Breda said.

"Thank god this is only training, the odds of us working or the same man with her is pretty low," Havoc said, smiling. "Although, you gotta admit, she's got a pretty nice-" He didn't get time to finish because at that moment, some thing hard collided with his skull. He looked at Riza, who was standing about twenty feet behind him, a pebble in her hand.

"You know, Havoc-kun, I appreciate that you find me attractive, but, please, do not discuss my looks with others." Havoc rubbed his sore head and watched her go. He whistled. "Damn, she may be one crazy woman, but dam, she is _amazing._"

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Gomen! Gomen! I am so late in putting this chapter up and it's so short! Forgive me! It's sort of a transition chapter to set up for the next one, which I can promise will be very long, and very very important.

Thanks to all the reviewers!

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You get the doughnut of your choice this time! So, review, I'll reply and tell you when the next update will be and you get some sort of pastry, don't… and I'll do …. Something. Muahaha…


	15. Reunification

Riza pulled the key out of her pocket and slowly unlocked the door to her house. It had been a long day again of training and schoolwork, and she was extremely happy that it was the weekend. A chance to relax and catch up on a book, maybe go and visit her grandfather among other things.

School was going well. She was one of the top of her class, and she had become very good friends with a few people. She actually sort of enjoyed Havoc-kun's presence. He was annoying and overbearing and very flirtatious, but it was fun to be around him. His arrogant personality counteracted her own and balanced her somewhat, and she did enjoy spending some time with him. Part of her told her that she would rather be with Roy, but she was beginning to accept that it might be a long time before she saw him again.

In the two years that Roy had been gone, she had grown accustomed to his absence. It was lonelier, she admitted, but it wasn't so bad as she had thought it would be, and it was even relieving at times. She did miss him, but she knew he would be coming back to finish training with her father. _Father…_ her heart stung a little as she said the word. Her father still refused to interact with her more than humanely possible, he was still angry with her for joining the military with out his consent.

He had grown so much worse over the years. She often heard him coughing late at night, and he was growing gaunt and pale. She tried to reach out to him; he was her father after all but- He would just bury himself deeper into his books. His eyes became haunted and his personal hygiene diminished. His face became unshaven and his hair grew long and haggard. He was living on borrowed time, and she found herself wishing more and more that Roy would return home before he was gone. She also knew that Roy would be able to talk to him, even talk some sense into him.

Pushing the door open and stepping into the cool darkness of the house, she turned and pulled the key from the lock. "Chichi-ue, I'm home," She said softly, recalling how he used to always greet her when she returned home from school, but those days were gone.

She set the key down on the table near the door and continued to the kitchen. As she approached her father's study, however, she thought she heard voices. Her father's voice was speaking. His voice was harsh and rough; it was obvious his disease had taken its toll on his body.

"So, you have decided to become a soldier after all…"

Riza put her hand on the knob to open the door into the room to see whom he was talking to.

"…Roy."

She stopped in midstep. He was back? She smiled for a minute before processing what her father had said. 'Become a soldier after all?' Had he also joined the military? She cringed. Her father would reject him, too, now, possibly never be willing to teach him the remaining secrets of the alchemy he had perfected. He had been waiting so long to teach that to him… Roy was the only student she knew he would even consider teaching the basics of flame alchemy. He had been kept for so much longer than any of her father's previous students. Her thoughts were shattered as she heard Roy reply.

"Yes, sensei." His voice had changed dramatically. It was so much deeper now, no longer the voice of a young boy, but that of a nearly grown man. She smiled slightly, taking comfort that he had kept his promise and returned. She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall outside of the room. Roy continued. "I thought eventually I would like to take the qualification for a state alchemist and work for my country."

Riza inhaled. A state alchemist? Of course he had the talent, she knew. From her understanding and knowledge of it, Roy was exceptional in his abilities in the science. But still, he knew only the basics, and even the most advanced people wouldn't be able to pass the exam with just that. And now, of course, her father would never reveal the secrets. Not if he was planning to use his skills for the government. There was a long pause. She knew her father was thinking of what Roy had said. A state alchemist would never be allowed to hold the final secrets of what he taught.

"As I thought," He said hoarsely. "It's still to early for you to be 'the Flame Alchemist.'" Riza sighed again. Of course… if Roy had joined the military, he was still to child in his father's eyes, one unwilling to see the consequences of his actions, and one who might never learn.

He had become like her.

"Still, is it?" Roy asked, probing her father gently. "In the end, you've only taught me the basics of alchemy up to now."

"Of course," Her father replied coolly. "It's a waste to teach someone who would degrade himself by becoming a dog of the military even the fundamental concepts." Riza blinked back tears. He had become just like her, forsaking the trust of her father, who was like a father to him also, to do what he felt he needed to. And now he was being told he was degrading himself for doing that. She wanted to scream. She wanted to go in there and tell her father that he did what he had to for a reason, and that he shouldn't judge him until he knew and understood. He still didn't understand her reason.

Roy spoke again, a little shakily. "'Alchemy is for the people,' right?" He swallowed and regained his composure. "Sensei, I think that being useful to the military is linked to being useful to the people." She smiled as she listened to his words. Still as naïve and foolish as ever. "Now that we are exposed to threats from the surrounding countries, strengthening the military is most urgent. To protect the nation, alchemy is-"

"I'm tired of listening to all those second-hand opinions." He father said softly, yet hard enough to make his point.

"Sensei," Roy continued, somewhat pleadingly now. "To think that if I had as much knowledge as you, it should be easy to take the state qualification." He composed himself before continuing. "Honestly, I find it unbearable that someone of your caliber is smoldering in such destitution." Roy said, referring to the house which had become unkempt and dilapidated since he had left. "If you were to take the state qualification and accept the issued research funds, your research would go even farther-"Her father cut him off suddenly.

"There is no need for that." There was the small sound of a pen being set down. Roy stopped and let his teacher continue. "My research was perfected a long time ago." He took a deep breath. "It is the strongest kind of alchemy. Depending on how it is used, it can also be the most deadly." He paused. "And I became satisfied."

Something in his voice made Riza's breath catch. It sounded so hollow and empty, like the world crumbling in on itself and compressing into oblivion. That voice sounded so desperate and longing, like a thirst for a long awaited rain after a drought. But that voice was laced with so much malice, hatred and despicable abhorrence it sent chills up her spine.

"Alchemists are living beings," Her father began to speak again. "Who, as long as they are alive cannot go on without seeking truth. When they stop their thinking, the 'alchemist' would die." There was another loathsome silence. "That is why I am a human who died a long time ago."

Again, something in his voice tugged at her chest. However, this time his tone was not so grisly or spine chilling, rather it was pitiable- pathetic and small, like a child crying over the loss of a parent, a colleague grieving the loss of a friend, a lover mourning over the death of a partner.

"Please don't say such a thing," Roy cut in, sounding somewhat desperate. "If you would please use that power for the good of the world, then…" He trailed off, unable to offer the right words.

Her father spoke again, softly this time, barely audible to her ears. "Power…" he mumbled. "So you want power, Roy?"

She heard a sound that would later plague her dreams and nightmares. The sound of flesh being ripped, a ragged gasp and choking. It tore through her very being, and she knew there could only be something horrible wrong on the other side of the closed door. She couldn't bring her self to open it. She couldn't open it.

Roy's cry tore through her thoughts. "Sensei!" The scream was desperate and pleading, a heartfelt cry of anguish that tore through to her soul. She took a deep breath and placed a hand on the doorknob. "Sensei!" He called again, more frantically this time. Her father's words came slowly, choked on words. His voice was rasping and it sounded as if he were drowning. She clutched the knob tighter. "Since I saw your growth..." He took a deep ragged breath. "With my own eyes…I thought of bestowing it on you…" Her father gasped, and the sound of more blood being coughed up was heard. Riza shuddered, but she couldn't open the door yet. Something had tied her in a straight jacket, and she could feel cold malice breathing down her neck. "What a pity…don't have any time left to teach you…" Her father choked out. His voice now sounded amused, as if he were laughing at this terror that had him in the grasp of its claws.

"What…?" Roy said softly, she hardly heard him make out the words.

"But my research…" The words came out painfully. "My daughter knows it all…" Her eyes widened. Did that mean he still approved of her teaching him? "If you're saying you will use my alchemy… my power… in the correct way, she will probably present the secret to you…" He trailed off, the effort of speaking exhausting him.

"Please get a hold of yourself!" Roy called. Riza slowly began to turn the doorknob, but hen she heard something soft in between Roy's cries. Her father's voice. "I'm sorry…" She inhaled sharply. Who was he apologizing to? "I was so immersed in my research I couldn't do anything for you…" Tears formed on the edges of her eyes. "I'm sorry, Riza…" She gasped slightly, a small hiss of breath that just barely escaped her. Roy called out again. "Sensei! Hawkeye-sensei!"

"Roy…" Her father said, slightly louder. "I'll leave my daughter to you… please…"

"Someone!" Roy called frenziedly. Her hand tightened on the handle. It turned a corner of an inch.

"Please…"

"Someone call a doctor!"

Another inch.

"Is anyone here?" Roy's voice was frantic now. She couldn't stand it. She put her full weight against the handle and threw the door open. Roy was standing there, his new, crisp blue military uniform covered in her father's blood. His left arm was clutching Mr. Hawkeye's coat, and the other supported him from beneath. Her father had an arm draped over one of Roy's shoulders. His eyes were unfocused, and blood was crusted against his lips. All of this hit her in less than one moment. All of the seriousness of colliding into her mind in a fraction of a second. Roy's eyes looked at her from across the room. "Riza!" He cried.

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Her face was buried in her pillow. There was something comforting of the warm softness pressed against her body. Her face was dry; she hadn't managed really to cry. Her mind wouldn't recognize the fact that he was really gone. Her body would not function at all, though. She had stayed in bed all since yesterday, unwilling to eat or consider dozing off. She was exhausted, but couldn't bring herself to close her eyes.

Roy had come in once to tell her that the doctor had been unable to save him. He had walked out of the room, dazed himself, and had wandered back down to the study to look through some of her father's old books for something. His eyes were lost. Her grandfather had come also, and had sat next to her until night fell before leaving. He couldn't come today.

Her stomach growled, but her body would not allow her to get up and go downstairs to the kitchen to get some food. She rolled over and looked at the wall. Something was cooking downstairs, but the smell didn't entice her at all.

She didn't feel anything.

The branch of the sycamore tree outside scraped softly against the window. The breeze whistled softly outside the window and Riza lost herself in the soft melody. She willed herself to blow away with it.

There was a small noise of a knock on the door. Riza turned in the bed to face the door and pulled the blankets of the bed up around her. "Come in," She said blankly.

The door opened with a squeak and Roy stepped in. He was carrying a tray with what looked like a plate of cookies and a glass of milk. Riza smiled despite herself. Roy came over and set the cookies on the bedside table next to her. He sat down on the bed next to her. He looked at the ground. "Are you alright?" He said softly.

She shifted and looked at him. "I'm fine, Sir." She said.

He twitched, and looked over at her. "What did you call me?"

"I'm sorry, sir, but, since you are now legally a military officer, and, I am still only a student at the Academy. As such it is proper that I call you Sir." She said, voice devoid of emotion.

He shook his head "Riza, it doesn't matter her, now, I mean, under the circumstances-"

"And it would probably be best f you referred to me as Hawkeye-san until I achieve any rank, sir."

"Damn it, Riza, I've known you for seven years, you're like my sister, I'm not gonna call you 'Hawkeye-san', it feels like I'm talking to your father." She looked at the ground. "God, wait, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" Roy said, jumping up. He stood for a second, moving his arms around aimlessly, trying to find something to day. Riza just stared at the ground. "You should eat, or something, I dunno, you've been up here for so long, and…." He trailed off and looked out the window.

Riza gingerly reached out and took a cookie from the plate that she had brought him. She sniffed it, and placed a small bit on her tongue. It was hard, crispy and burnt, but she smiled at the thought that he had tried to make them for her. She gratefully ate the rest of the cookie and downed the milk. She saw Roy had been looking at her.

"Feeling better?" He asked softly.

She nodded. "Thank you, Sir."

Roy scowled. "For the last time, please, just-"

"This is how I was raised sir… I'm not going to go against it, now, even though he's…" Her voice broke, and her mask cracked, and she turned away from him so he wouldn't see her. Small sobs escaped her, and she made quick haste to wipe away the tears, but she couldn't keep herself from crying. All of the events of the past day and a half flooded into her mind. She kept hearing her father's voice, his apology. She heard Roy take a few steps toward her. She heard him hesitate, but then he rested a hand lightly on her shoulder.

The small action shattered her completely and she nearly broke down sobbing. She bowed her head into her knees and wrapped her arms around herself. Roy's eyes widened as he saw what she had done. He kept his hand there as she cried, and began to rub her back softly. Somewhat unsure of how to respond any further, he tired to soothe her as best he could. "Shh, Riza, shh… please don't cry…" He said softly. "It's ok, please…please don't cry." He sat down on the bed behind her, and pulled her gently up against him, cradling her softly as she sobbed silently into his chest. He leaned down and whispered into her ear. "It's ok, Riza, it's ok. I'm here, it's ok."

She continued to sob softly against his uniform, wrapping her arms around herself. Shattered, noting to hide, she just cried. He softly rubbed her back and comforted her. Tears fell noiselessly across his face too as the full impact of what had happened hit him. He closed his eyes and blinked back the tears that were falling silently down his cheeks. He bent his head down and leaned into her hair. Her hair smelled really sweet, he noticed. He breathed it in, it somehow helped to soothe his nerves. His tears fell into her hair and he reached up with a hand to dry his face. He felt her arms slip around him and he hugged her closer. They sat there for a long time, both simply content to have a shoulder to cry on.

"So," He whispered into her hair, voice broken. "Are you going to be ok?"

She nodded against his uniform. "I'll be fine, Sir."

"God, Riza," He said. "Do you have to call me that now?" He whispered against her. She buried her face farther into his shirt, tears still shaking her small frame. "I'm sorry… it's just… I can't. I can't." She began to cry a little bit harder now, and he held her closer to him again. "No, Riza… it's ok… I…" He paused. "I don't know. I don't know anything anymore."

She leaned away from him and wiped her face off. "You'll be fine. It's ok. You're strong, I know."

He nodded, still broken. She hugged him close again, and he took her into his arms. Neither said anything anymore, nothing more could be said. The pain of the loss still vivid in both their minds, they simply sat holding one another, giving all the innocence in comfort that could be given.

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Ok, So it was longer than the last time, although its not my longest one yet. I hope you liked the small fluffiness at the end. More to follow, I promise.

My reviewers each get an ice-cream cake for reviewing my last chapter which didn't get as many reviews as the one before that… oh well. You guys rock my world! Hope this chapter is a step up from the last one!

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Ok, so review, and I will tell you when the next chapter will be up, and if you don't…i'll tell Ed you called him short. Yeah. That's it.


	16. The First Day of Hell

If there were one thing he would always remember, it would be the heat.

The desert. Its fire raged writhing him, a tortured beast that ripped at his ribcage and ached for its freedom. The sand was everywhere. In the tents, in his clothes, in his eyes, in his food. Nothing was kept sacred from this harsh environment. He wasn't exactly sure how he had ended up here. After graduating from the military academy he had been thrown around form multiple places until now: The annihilation campaign. Youngest state alchemist ever to be admitted into Amestris Military. He had been eighteen at the time. He smiled at his achievements, then, laughed. Riza had stood behind him then. But he hadn't seen her for five years.

Now, he despised himself, he hated everything about him. He hated who he was, that he was powerful, he hated his abilities, everything. He wanted to drown everything he had into nothingness, crush his soul into the black oblivion of death. He hated it. He hated himself. His achievements, his goals. But most of all he hated his eyes.

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It was the same every morning. Get up; wipe the sand from your boots. Check for scorpions in the military regulation uniform. Wipe off your face with a cold rag then go eat some slop while waiting to be herded off like cattle to a slaughterhouse. He lost all feeling except anger. That and survival. That was all that kept him going.

Days blurred into weeks. He had been shipped about to multiple camps, burning and igniting homes, killing needlessly. His hands became drenched in blood; his soul was torn into two. Life became a burden, not something one was willing to bear for the sake of living. He often found himself wondering if maybe it would all be easier if he just ended it now. But he was too cowardly. Always to cowardly.

This morning was no different from a thousand others. Get up. Move. Eat. Kill. Kill or be killed, kill and keep killing. Death was what his world was now. They always whispered about them. He heard it at night from behind his tent flaps. All the men spoke about him and what he had done. His horrendous power. They mumbled quietly amongst themselves when he stepped onto the battlefield, saying his name with either reverence or terror. There wasn't much difference in the two now. "The Flame Alchemist is coming."

Nights were a relief. He stumbled back to the camp, drenched in sweat and grime. He would lift up the tent flap and strip himself of the garments that marked him as a murderer, lay on his bed and sleep. That was it. Dreamless nights, a solace quite similar to that of death.

Tonight was different. Unlike the morning, in which he had moved along at the war's pace, the night he returned, something had snapped him from his dreary cycle. A smile that always had managed to find him, and still annoy him. However, to see it now was an enormous comfort. An oasis in the desert of blood.

"Roy!"

He turned his head. His eyes that had been dead seconds before showed a small bit of the old spark he had had as a boy. He even smiled. "Hughes!" He exclaimed relieved, even happy. "So, you're here too?"

Hughes flashed him one of those annoying smiles Roy had learned to put up with over the years. He still often found himself restraining the urge to slap him, but now he managed relatively well. "It's been a while, Roy."

Roy smirked while pulling off the white and red stitched gloves that adorned his hands. He shivered whenever he saw the markings on them, unpleasant circumstances coming to mind. He wasn't one to relive the unpleasant past. Hughes watched him carefully. "Ooh, you're 'Major Mustang' now, aren't you?' He asked quizzically, surveying his friend's uniform. Roy examined the glove, and then offered his hand to Hughes. It was a handshake they had developed as boys in the academy, and Roy smiled at how simply the world had been then. Hughes knocked his fist with his own. Roy grinned. "Actually, to be precise, it's 'a position equivalent to a major.' I actually have only as much authority as a captain," Roy said, somewhat sadistically.

"Haha! Same as me!" Hughes said, smiling annoyingly.

Roy began to wash his face from a communal basin that was set up in the middle of the camp. "You became a captain? When?" He said between scrubs.

"Just now!" Hughes said proudly. Ever optimistic, even at this time. "Out ere people both high and low keep dying." His voice began to trail off slightly. "If you gain a little credit…" He paused, looking his friend over carefully. "You…" He began. "You've got a different look in your eyes." He said, sounding a little concerned.

Roy looked down into the pool of water. "You do too," He replied, glaring at his reflection, willing it to spontaneously combust into thousands of particles. "It's a killer's eyes."

Hughes smiled knowingly. "Yeah."

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"It feels familiar, like it was just a while ago," Hughes saying to him as the two old friends wandered around outside the camp. "Your eyes were sparkling at the military academy. We sure talked a lot about the country's future..."

Bodies littered the ground around them. Their brown skin made them easily recognizable as ishbalans, but their blood, which soaked the sand, was the same color as the blood of their own men. Neither of them noticed, their eyes hardened to death. "Yeah, we sure did," Roy answered, ginning. "About the 'beautiful future.'"

Hughes looked off into the distance towards an old man in a cart. More than likely he was driving towards his death. There was nothing out there.

"Ahh, man," He sighed. "This stuff wasn't included in that future." He turned from gazing into the distance and turned to look at Roy. "So, how's life here?"

"Not much," Roy answered, not returning his friend's gaze. "Blast artillery at them, corner them in, surround hem, and burn them. Then we thoroughly shoot up whoever is left. Just a repetition of that." He said in a monotone. Any horror he held at the notion was gone. Another reason he despised himself.

"Do they really plan to continue this until every last Ishbalan is killed?" Hughes said, mostly to himself. "Throwing even state alchemists out here…"

"Hey Hughes," Roy said, cutting him off.

"Hmm?" Hughes replied, looking over at him with his square framed glasses.

"This annihilation campaign…if the goal is only to suppress the rebellion, don't you think there are too many risks?"

"I was thinking of that too," Hughes said in a serious tone that was unbecoming of him. "This place doesn't have much natural resources to speak of." Ever the researcher. "After wasting armaments to this extent, he only thing to be gained is 'peace in the east.' At a time when the west and south are also in an explosive state, too."

"I don't understand, Roy said, turning his back on Maes. "If there something to go that far for?"

"Right now, it's just about ceased," Hughes responded. "But if they're to make this place into a base for trade with various eastern countries in the future…"

"It would be tasteless to render is to a burnt field." Roy finished for him. The two stood in silence for a while, only to have it broken by an eager private. "Lieutenant! Lieutenant Hughes!" Hughes turned, a disgruntled look on his face. "It's captain." He said quickly. The private blushed, snapping to attention. "Oh, excuse me sir!" He quickly regained his composure and reached into the folds of his jacket. "It's a letter," He said, handing it to the now ginning Captain, and he was gone.

"Ohh!" Hughes exploded looking the letter over and over again with eager eyes. Roy glared. "What is it?" He demanded.

Hughes' face lit up like a lantern at midnight. "It's my beautiful future." He said in a singsong voice. Roy glanced at the letter and looked at the return address. "Gracia? A woman?"

"She's in central," Hughes giggled happily. "She's been waiting for my return all this time!" He hugged the letter close to him before receiving an epiphany that made his face darken. "Ahh! What'll I do if some other guy is making a pass at her?" He demanded. Roy opened his mouth but was cut off as Hughes answered his own question. "No, there's no way Gracia would leave a great guy like me to have an affair. No, no, no, but there's still no way guys around her would leave such a great woman alone…" More than likely he would have gone on had he not heard Roy's voce behind him, seeping with venom.

"Hughes… I'll give you one word of advice…" He said dangerously. "It's a common pattern in movies and novels. Guys who talk happily about their family or lovers on the battlefield have a high chance of _dying_. Stop it right there."

Hughes' vein popped. "And what about you!" He rounded one Roy who stepped back a couple of feet. "Don't you have something lighthearted to talk about?"

There was a snap of a twig and both men turned around suddenly. A tall man, covered in blood, eyes red as fire and dark skin was standing over them, a large and deadly knife raised. They had been so caught up in their conversation that they had not noticed one of the corpses around them had not been a corpse. Roy blindly reached to snap before he realized he had no gloves on. His eyes widened in fear, and he noticed Hughes going for one of his throwing knives, but the man was on them and was better armed than they. There was little chance they could move or defend themselves. Roy braced himself.

It turned out it he didn't need to. Just as the Ishbalan was about to come down on Hughes, an enormous crack was heard. The man was thrown sideways, blood spraying from his skull. Roy watched din surprise as the man hit the ground with a dull thud. "A gunshot?" He asked, yanking on his gloves to defend himself and Hughes if need be.

"It's ok, Roy," Hughes said, shoving the knife back into his pocket. Roy glanced at him, a bit unsure. "We've got a hawk's eye on us," He said slowly. Roy looked over to him, a little confused. "Hawk?" He repeated.

"Yeah," Hughes responded, straightening himself up. "It's still a nameless sniper. It's been quite a topic among us. She's still a cadet from the military academy, but at any rate she's got great aim. It seems she's been brought all the way out here." He paused for a moment before continuing morbidly. "Ha… to think they would have to pull out a little chick like that… This must be the end."

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She watched him through the scope of her rifle, looking over his square face head and glasses. Yeah, she'd seen him before. Same as every other soldier. She moved to look at his companion and stopped. Black, messy hair, eastern eyes… He seemed to be looking at her. Her eyes widened.

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Roy and Hughes walked back through the camp, casually glancing at the other soldiers who were preparing to get some sleep before heading out the next day for more of the bloodshed. They were silent; all that had needed saying had already been said. Roy watched his feet move, not glancing up at the other soldiers, not really wanting to become close.

Hughes tapped hi shoulder. "There she is," He said, motioning to a small figure near the campfire. She had a blanket draped over her and a rifle by her side. She seemed to be withdrawn from the rest of the group, Roy noticed, not even raising he head when a soldier offered her a mug of the watery coffee that they served. Hughes began to walk forward before Roy could stop him. "Yo!" He said in a singsong voice. "Thanks for before," He said to the girl. "You were the one who shot that, right?" He asked, grinning ear to ear. The figure slowly turned her gaze to him and rose from her position to stand. Roy stared at her.

'It's been a while, Mustang-san," She said in a monotone. Roy's eyes widened as he looked over her. It had to be her, he had no doubt. Who else had that sort of aim? But she was different now. Her face was dirty and gaunt, she had lost weight, it seemed. The military coat and boots didn't belong on her, he thought. That trench coat should be on someone else's shoulders, any one's but hers.

He head Hughes make a confused sort of noise behind him, wondering where he knew this mysterious sniper who was so brilliant in the art of killing.

She continued. "No, perhaps I should call you Major Mustang now," She said softly. "Have you begun to remember?" She asked.

His eyes narrowed in sorrow. "How could I forget?" He asked quietly. He couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand seeing this girl that he had grown up with being in this place. No, it wasn't right. Young girls shouldn't be at war. But, no, she wasn't a girl anymore. Wars did that to people. Even she now had the killer's eyes. And that was what probably disturbed him the most.

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He stood behind her, looking down at her small form enveloped by the night. All of the others had long gone to bed; even Hughes had retreated to the safety of his own tent. She was speaking now, he words choked. He didn't say anything, nothing could possibly be said.

"Because the sight of him absorbed I his research was as if he was possessed by something…" She said quietly. "I believed in my father's words that this great power would bring happiness to many people." She swallowed nervously. "I… I believed that alchemy would give people dreams ad hope… and that the military would protect the people's future. Please, tell me major, why are soldiers who ought to be protecting citizens killing them in stead? Why is alchemy, which is supposed to bring happiness to the people, being used for _murder_?"

He couldn't answer.

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Another manga based chapter… I feel kind of bad. Next chapter is going to be completely original, though. I needed this in here to get it set up. Now, I must apologize to all those who wanted to see Riza teaching Roy alchemy. Sorry! I couldn't do it. I'm waiting for Arakawa sensei to show us that. -hangs head in shame- Forgive me.

Thankyou my reviewers, I love you all! You get crème brulee! ( I don't remember any requests, sorry if I I promised you something and you didn't get it, tell me in your review and I'll give it to you then.)

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Ok, so yeah, review, you get parties, and a notification of the next update date, and if you don't… I'll, um… I'll lock you in a room with Armstrong for three days! Muahahaha!


	17. New Dawn

The morning air in the desert was dry and fresh. Its airy breeze was a soft lull that almost willed Riza to forget where she really was. The air that blew through the flap in her tent was crisp and delicate, and the sweat on her brow was the only thing that brought her back to the present.

She sat up in her tent and rested her head in her hands. The morning bugle was calling, and that meant that she needed to drag her tired body from the bed and prepare for the day's assignments. Recently she had been assigned to guard the camp; she had yet to go far into actually enemy territory.

But she was still a murderer.

She stepped out into the morning air and shielded her eyes from the morning sun. The slight draft ruffled her hair and cooled her face, drenched in the sweat of a long forgotten nightmare. Other soldiers were beginning to emerge from their tents, the flaps blowing uselessly in the breeze.

She turned at the sound of footsteps behind her. An arm draped around her shoulder. "Yo!" She recognized Roy's friend, Maes, or something. "General Camden wants to see you today. I think your little performance might have gotten you recognized." He nudged her in the ribs. "You got great aim, you know?"

"Thanks," She said, a little uncomfortable with this man. "Do you mind?" She said when he didn't remove his arm from around her shoulder. He looked at his arm, then at her, and then a look of realization dawned on his face. "Oh, yeah, sure." He said. "You know where the general's tent is, right?"

"Yes, Captain, I believe I can manage myself from here on out."

"Hey, now, don't be so eager. I have to come too. I got a notice saying to get the sniper girl and go see General Camden. So, looks like you are stuck with me!" He said, gleefully putting an arm around her shoulder. Riza had an uncomfortable look on her face, but Hughes either didn't notice or didn't care because he kept his arm there as the two marched off to the general's tent. "You know," He said. "I've got a great girlfriend waiting for me back at central…"

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"Captain Hughes."

Maes raised his hand to salute the old man at the table in front of him. "Sir."

"Did you bring her here?"

"Yes sir, this is Cadet Hawkeye, I believe."

The old man turned to look her in the eye. "Cadet Hawkeye, is it?"

She snapped to attention. "Yes, sir."

He smiled. "Your skills are legend in this camp my dear, your name suits you well."

"I am honored by your compliments."

He grinned. "The higher-ups believe you would be an ideal member of a reconnaissance mission. We have selected a team of three people to accompany a State Alchemist further into enemy territory to determine or bearing in the area. You are to protect him at all times, ask no questions and follow orders. Am I understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Very well. Captain Maes Hughes," The general turned to him. "You have been given the same mission. The third member of your party will arrive shortly. For the time being, the two of you return to your tents and gather supplies needed. You will be away from camp for approximately one week if all goes well. You have until 0600 hours, and then you will both report directly here. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." They both answered, saluting.

"Dismissed."

They turned and walked out the door. Once the flap of the tent closed behind them, Hughes whistled. "Wow, already getting a mission, that's pretty impressive for a cadet of your age."

"I appreciate the compliments."

Hughes eyed her warily, a bit unsure of how to act around this extremely stern Cadet. Her attitude was more like one of a General, someone experienced in the way of the military since birth. It was hard to see her as a young girl here. But wars change people.

When she returned to her tent, Riza carefully arranged all the materials on her cot. She checked the guns and filled the canteens, and carefully peaked any medical supplies that may prove necessary. Packing light was essential on a reconnaissance mission. She would have to be ready for anything.

Adjusting her uniform further, she swung the light pack over her back and walked back to the Generals tent, back strait. She didn't think of the consequences this mission may present. Her cold eyes focused only on the immediate future.

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She was not the first one to return to the tent, it seemed. Although she prided herself on her ability to be extremely punctual and often early, she had been beaten. The third member of their part was seated on the ground with his head in his lap. The general, it seemed, was further back in the recesses of the tent. Voices could be heard, and apparently it was not a good time to attempt to inform the general of her return. She removed the pack from her back and set on the floor and sat down on a chair that was near the flap of the door.

The other man, hearing her movements, looked up at her. The unlit cigarette he had been chewing on wagged between his teeth as he recognized her. She did not look at him; rather, she stared straight ahead, so he assumed she didn't see him at all. His blue eyes looked her over and admired the changes she had undergone since he had last seen her.

"Well, you've certainly become a fine woman," He said, standing up and shoving his hands in his pockets. She glanced over at him. "Havoc-san?" She said, looking him over. "So they've pulled you out too, then, I assume."

"Yup," He sighed, putting his hands behind his head. "I just got here this morning, and now they're sending me out right away."

"So you've only just arrived," She said softly as if that explained the way he was acting. He frowned at her. "Yeah. Caught the last rain out to this base last night, pulled up here at 0440 hours. This guy comes up and says I'm wanted on a reconnaissance mission. Don't know why they'd want me though. Still a cadet, myself. And I would assume you're one, too."

"I've been out here longer."

"Ah, well, then. Guess they don't want to spare to many important people for this, huh? They're already sending out a Captain and an Alchemist, no more valuable blood should be wasted, right? So what d'you do? Send two cadets along with them." He smiled. "Gives us a chance to prove ourselves, though."

"Have you been outside the camp yet?"

"Not yet, I-"

At that moment, the general stepped through the folds of the tent into the front room. "Ah, Cadet Hawkeye, Cadet Havoc, you have arrived. Captain Hughes will be joining us shortly."

Riza stood and saluted, and Jean followed her example. The general waved his hand and motioned for them to be at ease. "Here is the State Alchemist you will be accompanying," He said, holding open the flaps of the tent for another man to pass through. The two saluted him, but the man's eyes widened when he saw them. "Sir," he said turning and saluting to the general. "Permission to make a request?"

The old man turned to him. "Granted."

"Please let me exchange the cadet for another member."

The old man turned and looked the two cadets over, and then turned back to the Alchemist. "They are both of the same rank, Major."

"Permission to exchange Cadet Hawkeye for a different soldier."

"Why, Mustang is she incompetent?"

Riza watched Roy quietly, anger building slightly inside her for what he was saying. Surely he knew she could hear every word? In truth, she hadn't expected to accompany him; he was one of the younger alchemists. She had expected maybe to accompany the Silver Alchemist, or even Major Armstrong as he now was, but the fact that she would be accompanying Roy made no difference in her resoluteness to follow orders. Jean, sensing her tenseness looked at her from the corner of his eye and then back to the man.

"No, sir, I do not doubt her abilities."

"Then why do you request the change?"

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Granted."

"She's a _child,_ sir!"

Riza's face reddened. The general noticed this, and turned back to Mustang. "She's no younger than the other cadets. That young man there is the same age as she."

"But, sir-"

"Mustang, I am no fonder than you of the idea of sending fine young women out to war, however, it was not my decision to place her in this party and therefore I have no right to allow you to exchange her position with others. If it is that important to you however, I might-"

"Sir, permission to speak," Riza spoke up. All three men in the room turned to look at the still saluting cadet. "Granted," The general said again. He was beginning to hate and fear the word.

"If it pleases you, sir, I request to remain on the mission with the Major. If I was chosen by the higher-ups, it seems fitting that I remain here."

Roy looked at her, and shook his head slightly. She ignored him. She kept her eyes focused on the General, her face firm and resolute.

"Permission granted." He said. "That will be the most logical course of action. Mustang, you will find the remaining member of the party and depart immediately. You know your orders."

"Yes sir," He said resigned. He strode past Havoc and Hawkeye and exited the doorway. The cadets waited for him to part before following after him. He stayed in front of them and Riza walked by Jean who whispered at her. "You should have taken the chance to get out of this."

"I have been assigned a mission, and I won't throw it aside so easily."

He sighed. "God, you have the book memorized don't you?"

"Forwards and backwards."

Captain Hughes was waiting at the gate to the camp. He saluted Roy briefly with a grin on his face and then they turned and headed away from the camp, Riza and Jean following silently behind the two men.

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"Oh, God," Havoc sighed as soon as they were a decent distance from the camp. "Oh, God…" The unlit cigarette hung from his mouth and his eyes were wide in absolute horror. "Please tell me this isn't real."

Roy and Maes, who were leading, turned and stopped to look back at Havoc who had stopped dead in his tracks. Riza stood still, facing forward, eyes not wandering from the path ahead of her.

The smell of blood was overpowering. Blood and sweat mingled with the dusty air. The sun overhead had baked the smell into the ground, and their boots were crusted with grime. It was the number of bodies that had unnerved Havoc. The dead were strewn everywhere. Bodies of full-grown men had their limbs hacked, blood and insides strewn about their remains. Women were there too, but it was the bodies of the children that scared him the most, dead eyes staring vacantly into space.

The stench was unbearable. Havoc coughed and began to wretch. He dropped to his knees and vomited. Maes turned and walked back and put a hand on his back comfortingly. "He's never been out before, has he?" He asked quietly as Havoc continued to relieve himself of his breakfast. The smell of vomit mingled with the already pungent reek of decay.

Riza shook her head. "He told me he had arrived this morning, Sir."

"What are they thinking, sending kids out here like this?" Hughes murmured as he turned and supported Havoc who was now a slight shade of green. He turned and walked with Havoc's arm over his shoulder, picking his way carefully among the bodies of the dead, past Roy who kept his eye on Riza. He motioned for her to come and walk beside him. She complied.

"Why did you do that?" He hissed at her while Hughes and Havoc walked further on.

"I don't understand sir."

"Why did you come?"

"It was an order."

"You could have refused, I could have-"

"What you wished was irrelevant, sir, it was my decision to serve on this mission."

"God damn it, Riza," He sighed. "I don't want you out here, I don't want you to end up like him," He said motioning to Havoc. "Something could happen, and I-"

"It is improper for you to address me so familiarly while on a mission sir, and I must inquire, are you implying that I am incompetent to take on this mission?

"No," He said. "Just- Look, I promised your dad I'd take care of you, ok? I don't want anything-"

"Nothing is going to happen to me, sir. I am perfectly capable of looking after myself. Just because I am a female has nothing to do with my ability to protect you or myself."

"I know it doesn't matter that you're a girl, I thought you'd have figured out I'd learned that from growing up in the same house as you."

"Then, with all due respect, sir, don't underestimate me."

He sighed, resigned, and raised his head to the sky. In front of them, the sun was rising farther into the sky. The blood red light a dangerous omen of what was yet to come.

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So, there you are, and original chapter to balance the two manga based ones I threw at you. Hope you like!

Thank you so much my reviewers! I love you all! Now, let us rejoice with ice cream Sundays for all of you!

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Please review! If you do, you get your name on the list, a pastry/dessert and a notification of when the next update will be. If you don't then… I'll turn you into a newt.


	18. Preparation of Death

Their steps over the hot sand formed a pulsing rhythm that was accented by the soft slipping of the sands. Every once in a while a spider would slip out in front of them before seeking the shelter of darkness beneath the scorching sands.

Roy was leading, his hands shoved gloomily in his pockets, eyes closed to the world. Maes was close behind, still supporting Havoc, although he was starting to come more to himself and was walking mostly on his own. Riza brought up the rear, her chocolate colored eyes scanning the landscape carefully for any intrusion other than a wayward snake that might cross the desert before him.

Steps became faster and the sound of the pounding of their hearts increased as they grew farther and farther from the camp. On the horizon shapes loomed, old buildings long abandoned in favor of stronger shelter.

Nothing was said, all eyes focused coldly in front of them. Ragged breath being drawn was the only sound that punctuated the monotonous rhythm of their boots.

A small shape on the horizon caught Riza's eyes. It was small and not really noticeable at first. It shivered and faded into the sandy winds. It had been too vague to determine who it was, but for certain it was a person.

"Sir," Riza said, breaking the cold silence with a voice dry from lack of water and the heat. "There is someone up ahead."

Roy and Maes glanced back at them and then gazed at the horizon. "No one now. Jeep moving, act like nothing is wrong. Move faster." Maes suggested.

And so they hurried. Their steps increased and they neared the old abandoned town. It crept closer towards them, drawing nearer and nearer. A sound of shifting sands reached their ears. Roy looked around, and motioned for them to move faster than they had. Havoc groaned at the effort to move faster, he was still sick from the earlier encounter with death. Maes pushed him on, but he was falling behind as well and was no level with Riza. "Go," He whispered at her. "Cover Roy. I'll take the back. Go!"

She nodded and moved ahead to catch up with the alchemist. He looked at her from the corner of his eyes. "They're following. Quickly."

She carefully reached down for the holster on the side of her thigh. She noticed that Roy was pulling on his gloves. He nodded back at Hughes who had pulled out his gun and Havoc, who was running on his own now, pull the rifle off of his back. And so they moved. The shadows in the wind became firmer, and sounds came closer.

The Ishbalans were closing in on them.

And then they were there. There were probably twenty of them, all carrying knifes and some had rifles as well. "Move!" Maes called out seeing the Ishbalans moving forward with speed only capable of desperate men. And they ran.

Roy was ahead, a finger poised dangerously to snap, but for some reason he found himself unable. The Ishbalans were close; Maes and Havoc firing haphazardly over their shoulders, praying that a bullet may find its target. Riza was conserving her own ammunition, should she become desperate. He could have ended it all there, snapped his fingers and disintegrating their attackers, but when he looked over his shoulder and began to rearrange the oxygen molecules in the air, he saw her and stopped. He couldn't kill in front of her.

They were walking into a trap. Heading into the dead city was suicide. The Ishbalans knew their territory better than they; they were here after all on a reconnaissance mission to get to know the territory. They were heading to a situation where they were vulnerable in the open to a situation where they were vulnerable to an ambush.

The cries of the crazed rebels behind them pushed the small group onwards. Their breathing becoming more ragged, steps loosing all continuity and pattern forsaken for the desperation of flight. Riza turned and fired two shots behind them, past Maes and Havoc, stopping suddenly. She saw two people fall and began to prepare her shotgun for another round, but she felt Roy tug on her arm and push her forward before she could do such a thing.

They were in the village now, shots echoed off of the dead walls. Maes and Havoc were farther behind them now, and the gap was growing. Riza began to slow to a halt to wait for her comrades but Roy stopped her. "No, Cadet, they'll be fine. You stay with me. Come on!"

And so she followed.

Scrams of rage followed the pair of officers as they wove through the forgotten town, passing through alleyways, trying desperately to evade their deadly pursuers. Riza's mind was racing, she knew Roy could stop all pursuit with a simple motion of his hand, but for some reason he kept running, always making sure she was by his side.

She felt a bullet hiss over her shoulder and saw it ricochet off a wall further ahead. She glanced quickly behind her but saw no one. Looking wildly about, she began to hear footsteps coming from above her. "Sir," She called out to him, breathing labored, her stride slowing. "They're on the roof," She gasped.

He was panting too. They couldn't continue much longer, he had to do something, anything. He began once again to position his fingers when she cried out again. "Look out!" He hastily dropped his head as he ran and saw something fly past him. He didn't bother to see what it possibly could have been. He lowered his hands.

Up ahead, a small house began to develop in his vision. It was small, and it looked as if it had been abandoned long before the war had forced people from the city. It was very small and compressed, more of a shack than anything. It's entrance made way only for one person to enter at a time.

Ducking into the building to catch his breath, Roy grabbed Riza's arm and pulled her in after him. The two ran down steps in the house that lead to the basement. He pulled her into an alcove that was carved into the wall by an errant bombshell. He pressed her up against him, her back against his chest and covered her mouth with a gloved hand in an attempt to stop her labored breathing. "Please, quiet," He hissed at her.

She shoved his hand off of her mouth but didn't leap away from him. "Why can't you just end this?" She hissed back. "I know what you can do, sir, don't say you can't do it. All the conditions are fine. And now we're separated from Havoc and Captain Hughes. It's all your fault." She was close to yelling at him. "Maybe you are the one who is incompetent."

"It's not that," He said whispering at her. " I know, I know I could have ended this anytime I wanted to, it's just… I don't know. I go to snap my fingers, and in my mind I see the people crumbling helpless on the ground before me, their bodies charred and smoking, and I'm afraid. I know I need to, I know it's orders, and I know I've done it plenty of times before. But… for some reason it's different for me this time."

She stepped away from the fissure in the wall, deeming the surroundings safe enough to take a few precarious glances around the room. It was dark, all though the darkness was neither opaque nor complete. And eerie red tinge covered the far wall, but the rest of the room was bathed in a dark bluish hue. From outside, the voices of angry men could be heard, but they did not appear to be any where near where the entrance to the building would be.

"I hate this war as much as you do, sir. I hate that we are forced to kill. But we don't have a choice right now, do you understand? We will die if you won't protect us." The meaning of her words struck him like a slap across the face. I will die if you won't protect me.

"I…" He began. He couldn't compose the words. I can't let me see you kill. I can't let you think of me as a murderer. "I don't want to have to protect you. I mean… I will, I could never let you die; I couldn't stand to let anyone I care about die when I could have protected them. I just wish the circumstances were different. I wish I didn't have to protect you."

She turned from her solemn exploration of the moldy cellar and back to face him. "You chose this road. I chose this road. We both knew what we would have to do. WE both welcomed it with open arms. If I had not, I would not have volunteered to go on this mission when you could have had me removed. Better yet, I would not have gone against my father's wishes and joined the military. You would not have become a state alchemist if you did not already accept the consequences."

He bowed his head in submission. She was right of course. Damn it, she was always right.

His thoughts were pushed from his head by the sounds of wild men's screams. "Cadet!" He called and grabbed her arm and threw her behind him. "Stay back," He said softly. She nodded and pulled out her shotgun and aimed it carefully over his shoulder.

There was he sound of thunderous footsteps in the small house and twelve men jumped almost simultaneously down the cellar. Turning their red eyes to the two militants in the corner, the tallest one, who was obviously the leader, turned to the rest of the group and pointed at them. He spoke in the Ishbalan language to them, and it must have been a command of some sort because the rest of the people began to advance slowly upon the two. Roy's eyes focused calmly ahead, assessing the situation. Riza's grip tightened on the shotgun in her hands.

She fired.

Roy jumped at thee sound of the rifle in his ears, and glanced quickly over his shoulder at her to make sure it was really her gun. This was a mistake. "Sir!" She cried out ad the Ishbalans, noticing their fallen comrade leapt at them, one driving his knife straight at Roy. She quickly beat him out of the way with the side of the gun, knocking him flat onto the ground and she fired again.

He landed on his back and turned over quickly to avoid being impaled by another's knife. He jumped up and caught another man who was after him in the chest with a fist, and the man fell to the ground winded.

However, no matter the skill, two people cannot match twelve, even if three were dead or out of commission. Especially not if the twelve opponents in question were rebel militants fueled by hatred.

The Ishbalans, having already closed in on Riza's position grabbed her gun and another came up behind her and held her by her neck in a headlock. She kicked the one behind her in the groin, causing him to release her and stumble, but another two swarmed in on her to grab her arms and pinned her to the wall behind her, the rifle falling uselessly to the ground.

Roy, who was busy dealing with the other five Ishbalans didn't notice what they had done until she cried out.

"Major!" Her voice was angry, not desperate.

Not a moment of hesitation hung in his mind then. He took a step forward, and snapped.

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It was raining.

Smoke cleared from the room, leaving debris and corpses lying scattered throughout the small cellar. Roy stood, taking in deep breaths and holding his shoulder where and Ishbalan had hit him. He looked around the room until his eyes found Riza. Her eyes were unfocused, and a feeble amount of blood dripped from the corner of her mouth. She was pressed against the wall, breathing heavily, blank eyes looking at the corpses around her. She slid to the ground with a moan, falling on her hands and knees, just looking around.

She screamed.

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Oh…ok. I'm done with chapter 18…

Sorry for the shortness of it, it was getting really late, and I have to get up tomorrow, so I left it as is. I know I promised lots of angsty royai, but I decided to move that up to the next chapter.

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	19. The Solace of the Rain

It was as if death had invaded her. The smell of charred bodies and decay crept into her nostrils. The pungent stench of blood overwhelmed her. Her body shook, and she felt herself retching. She trembled, giving her self over to the darkness completely and fully. It was too much.

She had killed before. She had seen her victims fall in a graceful arc to the ground as the bullet from her rifle found it's mark. She had seen the bodes convulse some as the agony of death crowded their bodies. But she had never been this close. She had seen thousands dead, seen their sightless eyes before her, bleeding from numerous wounds, legs and arms twisted at odd angles. She hadn't heard them scream before, though.

The haunting echo of the men's cries inhibited her senses. She couldn't hear anything else any more. Their desperate pleas with the universe to let them survive, to let them please just live a minute longer, were ignored by the laws of nature's iron fist. No one would ever know. Such a simple thing was life, to be born and then to have everything you have ever worked for snatched in the blink of an eye. To be on top of everything when suddenly death extends a clawed hand to bring you back to the earth. To be caught in the torrent and then become unconscious.

She clutched at the torn and scorched fabric of her uniform, feeling the roughness beneath her fingers, desperately trying to hold on to the real world. Her eyes were open, but she couldn't see. Only death controlled her now, death held her like a lost child, sweetly displaying his work and asking gently for her to come with him as well. She trembled in death's grasp. No, she was afraid, she didn't want to see his power, and she didn't want to go back with him.

She struggled further, tasted blood in her mouth. Her throat was dry. No, she told him. The bodies of the men streamed into her line of vision. This wasn't what she wanted to see. She cried out in terror, and pulled herself back against the wall behind her and held onto her uniform tightly. She shut her eyes, but she could still hear their screams. She covered her ears and began to cry softly.

What was all of this? Why was this so terrifying? She knew death. She knew probably better than most the horrifying fragility of life's temporary existence. Why did she cower now after seeing her attackers consumed by the fires of hell as she stood by; a spectator to their gruesome fate.

She closed her mind. There was nothing for her. She didn't remember where she was, she didn't want to remember. The world around her was dark. She was alone.

She sobbed, shaking, pulling her uniform around her to protect her from the wrath of the world, the wrath of death. Nothing was real anymore.

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He reached out to her where she sat on the floor, eyes wide in terror. She didn't seem to see him. "Riza," he said softly, slowly extending his hand to her shoulder. She was fumbling with her uniform, clutching to the coarseness of its feel. She was just looking around, taking in the death around her. "Riza, please," he said, gently touching her shoulder.

She cried out in terror and smacked him away. He stepped back, surprised. "Riza, it's me," He said quickly, trying to calm her. She didn't hear him, only buried her head into her knees and began to sob.

He approached her tentatively, and slid to floor next to her. He set a hand on her shoulder softly. She shivered at his touch, but she didn't recoil as she did before. "Riza…" He said again softly. "Riza, please… I'm sorry. Oh, god, I'm so sorry."

He gently stroked her back, coaxing her into calming down. "I'm so sorry," He said over and over. She didn't respond for the longest time, and Roy grew more and more worried. "Please," he begged. "Please…" Slowly he felt her loosen, the stiffness of fear washing slowly away from her. She relaxed little by little, leaning more into him until her head rested on his chest as she sobbed quietly.

"Don't scare me like this," He whispered into her ears. "It's alright, I'm right here. Please don't cry anymore."

His voice slowly began to register in her mind. Riza shivered again as she noticed someone was holding her, not like the grip in which death had held her, but the warm embrace of a friend. She slowly quieted herself and relaxed against the one who held her, slowly returning to her senses, slowly taking the world back in.

"It's ok, Riza. I'm here, its ok."

Her eyes flew open as she realized what was happening. She jumped away from him instantly, landing a few feet away from him and staring at him, eyes wide. He looked at her, hand still poised in the air from where he had been softly rubbing her hair. She blushed a bright red.

"I-I'm very sorry sir!" She stuttered, struggling to regain her dignity. "Forgive me, what I did was inappropriate," She said hastily, sitting up straight and bowing her head. He looked at her strangely. "What are you talking about? It was my fault, you didn't… you shouldn't have had to see that."

She shook her head. "M-my behavior was irrational. There is no excuse for that."

"Damn it!" He swore, moving suddenly and gripping her by the shoulders. "Why the hell are you apologizing to me? You had to see me kill these people. That is unforgivable on my part. Your reaction was normal!" She looked back at his dark eyes, noticing that they were trembling slightly. "Damn it Riza, I thought I'd killed you." He dropped his head onto her shoulder. She inhaled quickly, unsure of how to react to what he was doing. "I thought that I had hurt you, you scared me so badly." He whispered against her rough uniform.

"I'm very sorry, sir-"

"Don't apologize," he snapped. "It was my fault."

"Sir-"

"God, do you have to call me that? I've known you since I was ten years old, Riza, you don't have to call me that here. Not now. It only reminds me that I really am a dog." He took a deep breath. "I really am a murderer."

"No, sir, you aren't. It was… it was to protect me. Anyone decent would have done the same thing." Her eyes traced the room again. "Could we go upstairs, please?" She said a little quickly. His head rose from her shoulders and released her from his grip, his black eyes roaming the room now scarred with the blood of the men they'd killed.

"Yes, lets."

He stood up and offered her his hand, and the two walked up the stone steps to the small floor level room. The rain was falling steadily outside the room, and every once in a while a slight _plop_ was heard as a drop of water fell from a leak in the roof to a puddle on the floor. Roy walked over and stood by the doorway. He held a gloved hand in front of his face and he smiled. "These gloves would probably be useless in the rain, huh?" He asked, turning to face her as she stood behind him. She nodded. "Probably, sir."

He chuckled. "I'd need someone at my back when that happens. Never know what could happen when I'm useless." He glanced back at her again.

"I wouldn't let anything happen to you, sir."

"So you'd say by me?"

"Of course, sir."

"Even after this godforsaken war is over?"

"Yes."

He was silent as he turned completely around and walked over and stood in front of her. She felt her heart rate speed up as he stood directly in front of her. "Even though I've killed thousands of people? Even though I deserve no compassion from anyone because of the atrocities I've committed? Even though my hands are stained with the blood of innocents?" He asked in a whisper.

She swallowed. "Sir, I'm just as guilty as you in that respect."

He smiled sadly. "You shouldn't have to be here. A young woman like you, you should be back in your home town, getting ready to be married or something of the like."

She straightened her back. "If I recall correctly, sir, I was prepared to join the military long before you."

He sighed. "Of course. You always were the better shot, and you easily beat me in hand to hand combat then." He moved suddenly, grabbing her wrists and pinning her against the wall behind them. "But I've gotten better, too." She stood in astonishment at his sudden move, but then settled back into her self. She brought up her leg to kick him, but the stepped on here feet to keep them firmly on the ground. "And I know all of your moves, too. Besides the fact that I'm stronger than you are."

"That's only because you are a man, sir."

"Then I guess I have a god-given advantage."

"Please." She twisted suddenly, easily breaking his grip and stepping away from him. "Although you have improved, sir."

He smiled as he watched her. "What are we doing here, Riza?" He asked, shaking his head. She turned to him. "Sir?"

"Why didn't we stay where we were? We would have had lives, opportunities."

"We wouldn't have been together, sir."

"What?"

"Our paths would have differed. You had already gone off once, more than likely you would have left again. I would also have done something different had I not been in the military."

"So, this is a joint path for us then?"

"You could put it that way, sir."

"Then maybe this is fortunate."

"Sir?"

"I can't think of a single person I'd rather have at my side other than you.

The rain continued to pound against the roof of the house, a constant reminder of where they were. The stench of gunpowder still lingered in the room, but something prevented that from bothering the two.

The room illuminated with the flash of the lightning and a loud clap of thunder pounded in the distance. Roy thought he saw a shadow of fear cross her face, but it passed in a fleeting moment, so he was sure he imagined it. "Not afraid of the thunder anymore?" He said, only half joking.

"I do no enjoy it." She replied simply. He nodded. "It reminds me still that I'll have to go back once this rain stops." She continued in a soft voice. "It reminds me that I'll have to raise my rifle again and again and take the life of a person fighting only to defend his country. And that is what terrifies me."

He took a few hesitant steps towards her. "Don't," He said, stopping arm's length from her. "Don't be afraid for that. It's your job, Riza. You can't do anything to stop it. Remember why you are doing it. You are protecting your country your people. And I need you to protect me."

She raised her head to look at him, eyes resting on him as long as she would dare. "I won't let you down, sir. I wouldn't let anything happen to you. I couldn't." She said, eyes resting on the ground.

"I won't let anyone touch you," He said to her. He brought his hand to rest beneath her chin and forced her to look at him. "I swear to you, I'll protect you through this war. I'll make sure we survive, Riza. We'll be fine."

She blinked a few times, quickly batting away the few tears that had come into her eyes. Why was she crying? She took a deep breath in, trying to calm herself. He looked at her worriedly, taking another hesitant step forward. She didn't push him back, and simply closed her eyes and allowed him to wipe away the salty tears that streaked her face, taking a jagged breath as she felt the coarseness of his glove on his face. He quickly ripped the gloves off and instead ran a finger delicately over her face. She shivered at his cool touch, breathing slightly heavier. Had he always been this close?

She felt herself sliding to the ground, him kneeling beside her, continuing to hold her head with bare hands, gently stroking the back of her neck a he looked at her, simply taking her in. He whispered her name delicately, enjoying the taste of it on his lips. Her burgundy eyes fluttered open and looked back into his obsidian ones, and felt herself lose all of her power. His eyes pierce through to her, breaking down all of the barriers she had built up inside herself.

He leaned in closer to her as she rested against the wall, resting his forehead against hers, all the while just holding her in his eyes, muttering her name once or twice. Her lips quivered and her heart beat quickly because of the proximity to him. She felt her heart break, and more tears cascaded gently down her cheeks. His eyes filled with concern for her, and he hastily wiped the tears away.

"Roy," She whispered softly, not knowing why. Just to say his name a final time. It was all he needed. Moving in suddenly, he captured her lips with his own, arching his back to lean in close enough to her. She stiffened in surprise, but then felt herself wrapping her arms around his neck, moving his hands through his messy hair, drenched in sweat from the days excursions. He hastily took a breath and then took her mouth in his once more, rubbing his hands over her neck, holding her gently to him. She felt his tongue run over her lips, and she moaned softly, moving her hands over his back, feeling every notch in his spine. He became insistent, and she opened her mouth to let him in. He ran his tongue over the inside of her mouth, memorizing every detail, every dip and curve she had.

His hands felt beneath her collar and slowly her uniform became unbuttoned, leaving her only in her back shirt that she wore underneath. His warm hands moved down her body, running along her sides. She slipped her hands beneath his shirt, feeling the smoothness of his skin beneath her fingertips. He moaned in pleasure, and pushed her back more firmly into the wall, pressing his body against hers. His kiss moved away from her mouth and he began to kiss along her neck, trailing steadily lower. She buried her face in his hair, breathing the scent of him in, letting her tears fall steadily into him.

He kissed her roughly where her shoulder met her neck and she inhaled quickly, and pulled him in against her. He returned to her lips, delving inside of her mouth once more, but this time she fought back, driving his back into his own mouth where she quickly dominated him.

He pulled away fro a quick breath, panting now, and he looked her over, not saying anything. "Don't stop," She muttered, arms still wrapped around his neck, gently rubbing his shoulders. He smiled eagerly and moved in to take her in his arms once more, holding her fragile body against him. "I won't," he muttered into her mouth. "I wouldn't ever leave you, I promise."

At that moment lightning illuminated the room, catching the two off guard. A clap of thunder sounded and Riza jumped back from him, and stood up suddenly, remembering where she was. Her eyes widened at the thought of what she had just done. "I-" She began, stumbling over the words that were mangled in her thoughts. "Forgive me," she said bowing and taking a few steps towards the door to look out in the rain.

He stood up and walked quickly over to her and stood behind her. "For what?" He asked quickly, looking over her with fear written over his expression. "I can't do this sir," She said looking at him. "I- it's not allowed, we-"

He shook his head. "No, Riza, it's no-"

"You shouldn't call me that," She said softly. "It should be 'Cadet' or even 'Hawkeye', but it's improper for you to call me by such familiar terms."

"Please, Riza, I need you."

"I can't risk getting you in any trouble." She said desperately. "I couldn't do that to you." Tears glazed her eyes, threatening to spill over. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did something to hurt you."

"You won't hurt me," He said, eyes pleading with her. The rain was slowly winding to a stop. "I know you wouldn't. Please."

"I can't," She said shaking her head. "I can't take that risk." She stepped out into the cool night air. "We should go," She said to him. "The general will be waiting." And she began to walk through the mud, back to the camp. Roy bowed his head and followed her.

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They found Havoc and Hughes just outside the town. The two of them had, like Roy and Riza, taken shelter in an old house and waited for the storm to pass. Their pursuers had abandoned them, and all they had had to do was wait in silence.

The reached the camp the next day without major incident. Roy reported the group's findings to General Camden who congratulated him and said he would make sure the higher-ups heard of his valiancy. He was a hero.

The men of the camp eagerly offered their congratulations, saying her would be promoted in no time flat. One other alchemist even came to ask how many he'd had the pleasure of killing. Roy had not answered simply continued to eat alongside Hughes, who looked at him with concern.

"You ok?" He asked, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"How many more have I killed, Maes?" He asked in a monotone. "It's too easy. Just a snap of my fingers and lives are ended. I don't want this power."

"It's the path you've chosen."

He retired to his tent early and sat for a long while just thinking. Outside the rest of the camp all continued on merrily, oblivious to the rest of reality. Rolling over in his cot, Roy Mustang cried.

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YAY! I tthink this is my favorite chapter so far. It was so much fun to write. . Hope you all enjoy it a much as I did. Yay Royai fluff!

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	20. The Awakening Future

The nightmare had ended, like a child waking from an uneasy dream, the world breathed again. The storm had passed, the sky was clear, and the sun shone in a non-mocking way. The camp was joyful, not with the uncertain promise of a victory, but with the full-hearted reassertion that they were free. Men moved from tent to tent, embracing one another and shouting cheers to the future. Camps were torn down, suitcases packed. The war was over. They were going home.

Riza stood in her tent, back turned to the flap. She had already sorted through the few belongings that she had brought with her to the battlefield, all lying neatly in a suitcase on the cot. She ran her hands through her hair, which had grown slightly in the time she had been here. She would have to remember to get it trimmed when they returned to the city. So much had been lost in the past months. Friends and companions lost forever, men changed in the blink of an eye.

She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of the desert a final time before turning her back on the cot and exiting the tent. This war would stay in her mind forever. Letting her mind reminisce, she thought back to the day after she, Mustang, Havoc and Hughes had returned.

_She stepped out into the crisp morning air early, unable to sleep. The thoughts of the previous night still inhibited her mind, and whenever she would close her eyes, the images of the dead mind filled her mind. She couldn't stop it._

_She ran a finger over her lips, still feeling the warmth of his kiss. She shut her eyes tight, trying to erase the feeling. She held her hands above here and stretched. She told herself over and over again that it was nothing._

_"What are you doing out here so early…cadet?"_

_She turned as she heard footsteps behind her. His voice was slurred, and his steps trembled. "S-sir?" She asked shakily looking him over. He waved a hand. "I'm… fine. Just... had to much to drink, I think…" He slurred, tongue stumbling over normally simple words. "I thought I would need some sometime, so I packed myself a taste."_

_He had obviously had more than just a taste, though. His eyes moved erratically, and he seemed to have trouble just standing up. "Sir, you aren't fit to be up, you should go to bed."_

_He waved a hand in dismissal. "Nah... I need… I need to talk with you." She stepped back, knowing what he was going to say, but decided to stay and make sure he didn't collapse from all the alcohol he had imbibed. He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. "What happened to us…? I remember we were assigned a mission, but the rest…" He closed his eyes and winced from a headache. "I can't remember much."_

_She blinked, unsure of how to answer. He deserved to know what happened, she told herself. "It- sir, we made it to the village we were supposed to scout, Hughes, Havoc, you and myself. We were separated, but it was fine. You and I were together in that house, and…" She trailed off, not knowing where to go from here. "We were being chased, but everything turned out ok. We got back last night. You're a hero." She finished._

_His eyes stared blankly past her. "Ah… I see. I think… I remember now. Yeah… is that all that happened?"_

_She bit her lip. "Yes sir."_

_"Oh." He said, trying to steady himself. "It was a dream then... It was such a nice one, too." He ran his hands through his hair. "I see…"_

_"You really should go back to bed, sir." _

_"Yeah... maybe I should. Are you sure you don't want to join me?" He said in what his drunken mind probably thought was a seducing voice._

_Riza rolled her eyes. "Consider yourself lucky you are intoxicated, sir." She turned on her heel and returned to her tent. She heard the major do the same._

"Cadet," A voice snapped her from her reverie. Turning around she came face to face with Maes Hughes. He had an idiotic grin on his face as he jogged up to her, and he pulled her into a friendly embrace. "We're going home! Oh, Gracia's going to be so happy to see me!" He cooed, nearly jumping up and down after he had released her. "I'm going to take her out to dinner the moment I shower up when we get back, then I'll take her shopping, and then, this weekend, I'll get a ring, and-"

"Hold it," Another voice came from behind them. "Don't get ahead of yourself. The more you talk about the wonderful things you'll do when we get home, the more likely you are to cause the train to crash and kill us all."

"Don't be so sadistic, Roy." Hughes said with a childish scowl on his face. Riza turned and saluted to him, and he waved his hand to put her at ease. "Anyways, Hughes, you don't have to go rubbing it in other people's faces that you have someone to go back to."

"Oh come on, you're excited to go back, I can see it in your squinty eyes," Hughes said laughing. "Say, why don't you meet Garcia and I at the bar? I'm sure she wouldn't mind the company. Besides, I want her to meet Riza."

"I thought you were inviting _me._" Roy said, feigning hurt. Hughes smiled. "Oh, was I unclear? I meant for _you_ to take _her_ to the bar and we'll have a double date!" He said, smiling like a child. Riza felt herself begin to blush, but before she could say anything to contradict Hughes' absurd proposition, Roy spoke. "Captain, I am disappointed in you. You know fraternization is firmly discouraged within military ranks." He said with all possible seriousness.

"And, pardon my direct speaking Captain, I have no desire to sit and baby-sit two full grown men while they get drunk at a bar." Riza put in.

Hughes looked at her, hurt displayed on his face. "But, Gracia would be there…"

"Sorry, sir. I have plans for tonight anyways."

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The train ride back was oddly comforting. It was slow and monotonous; the rhythmic clicking of the ties against the wheels of the train car creating a lulling motion that soon had most riders falling asleep. Hughes and Havoc, who she was sitting across from were asleep on each other, drool staining each other's uniforms. Riza, being engrossed in staring out the window, hardly noticed the amusing spectacle, but Roy, who sat next to her, would look up from the book he was reading every few moments and snicker. Once he tried to reach for the camera that Hughes had hanging to of one hand that he had attacked them with as they boarded the train, but as soon as he began to slide it out from in between the sleeping man's fingers, Hughes had begun to whimper, and the other members of the car turned to look at them skeptically, and so Roy had given up the effort.

The countryside was flying by in a whirl of earthy colors. Reflections of small towns passed before Riza's eyes and were gone in an instant. A lonely tree then seldom broke the grasses of the open country, and Riza felt her lashes growing heavy. They neared another small town, and just before exiting and moving along, Riza noticed three children, all with blonde hair, sitting on a hillside pointing at the train as it went by. The two boys were waving at the passengers of the train, but the girl had her head on her knees and she didn't seem to be as into the playful salutations the boys were doing. As they passed, Riza raised one hand to wave back, not knowing why. The two boys must have noticed because they stopped waving and gave each other a high-five. Riza tilted her head to look out the window to watch the children a bit longer. The girl never changed.

"Something wrong, cadet?"

She turned her head back to Roy who was looking her over with an amused expression. "No sir." She replied simply, closing her eyes and resting her head against the back of the seat. The girl's sad face stayed in her memory.

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She stepped up onto the porch and knocked on the large oak door before her. She had arrived back in central a few hours ago, and after checking into a dorm and showering up, she had left the temporary house and headed over to an address scribbled on a piece of note paper.

After standing in silence for a few minutes, the door opened, revealing an old bespectacled man standing in the doorway. He blinked as he looked her over. "Riza?" He asked uncertainly. "My god, you've grown!" He said smiling, and pulling her into a warm embrace. "My goodness, what a fine young woman you are! Look at you! Oh, thank god you're safe, when I'd heard where they'd shipped you off to, I worried sick. Oh, forgive me, come in, come in!"

Riza stepped away from her grandfather and stepped into the warm light of the house. "It's good to see you again, ji-chan."

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Roy looked over the empty room. It was dusty, yes, but there was plenty of room. A single bed stood in the corner that would be enough. He walked into the adjoining room and began to undress; throwing his dirty clothes into a pile next to the old pine armoire that was shoved against the wall. Wearily, he walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a few large bottles and a shot glass before returning to the bedroom.

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_We are please to bestow on Roy Mustang the rank of Lieutenant Colonel for outstanding services to the war effort. We also grant additional research funds for the research expected to be conducted by all Nationally Certified Alchemists._

Roy read the paper over in his hands. _For outstanding service in the war effort._ He scowled. So he'd killed more than most. He glanced down the long line of soldiers who had also received promotions for the war. They were all being honored here today in front of all of Central. Hughes had been promoted to 1st lieutenant, while Riza had climbed ranks as well and was now a second lieutenant.

The speeches wore on; the Fuhrer himself had made an appearance, speaking briefly on the outcomes and successes of the campaign. Roy drove all noise from the air and closed in on himself while waiting for it to end. He always hated these sort of things.

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Fingering the keys to his new office, Roy strode down the hall of the white military building. Pushing the keys carefully into the lock, he slid the door open slowly. The room was small, his larger desk against the window in the back, a smaller desk in the corner for his aide. He smiled to himself. He was important enough to have an aide. He grinned and walked over to the larger desk meant for himself. His heart dropped when he saw a paper sitting on the desk. He groaned inwardly. It was to early for paperwork… It was probably some paper of evaluation for happenings of the war. Oh well, might as well get it over with.

He fingered the paper before beginning to read it. His expression changed from scorn to a softer look and he almost smiled when he reached the end. A personal letter, not a piece of dreaded paperwork.

_Lieutenant Colonel; After speaking with the higher-ups in the decision of your subordinate, I have managed to arrange for Second Lieutenant Hawkeye to serve directly under you as your aide as you have requested. I hope the arrangements work out, and I do encourage to you to work hard in your new position. The best of luck,_

_Signed, General Grumman_

_P.S. If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to ask you to marry my granddaughter. She's a fine woman you know, and I want great-grandchildren as well._

His eyebrows rose as he read the post-script. He sounded exactly like the old man he had known all those years ago. He was about to set the letter down, when he noticed the enormous pile of paperwork that had somehow been hidden under it. Jumping back in surprise, he resisted the urge to pull out his gloves and destroy the whole thing. He was inches from snapping when the door slid open and Riza strode in.

Roy froze in the position he was in, eyeing her nervously. She sighed. "I suggest you don't do that, Lieutenant Colonel, as I may be forced to make you clean it up as well as get copies." Roy dropped his hand and smiled at her. "So, you work for me?" He said stuffing the letter into his pocket.

"I received the letter this morning saying I would serve directly under you."

"Ah, well, why don't you get to work then, Lieutenant." He grinned.

She nodded and sat at her desk. He looked at her for a minute as she checked the drawers and began filling out some of her own (notably smaller) pile of paperwork that sat on her desk. His mind began to wander to an old dream and found himself unable to look away. She raised her eyebrows. "Sir?" She asked.

"Oh!" He said, startled. "Hmm?"

"You should be working on that unless you plan no staying late."

"Right," he said quickly, sitting down at his desk. He glanced over the first document and sighed. This was going to be a long day. _Oh well, _ a voice said in his head. _At least she doesn't have her slingshot anymore._

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Chapter 20… oh, its so sad! Next chapter is the last one! –cries- at least there is still the epilogue….-cries- im going to miss this so much! Oh well... When I'm done I'm going to start on a Royai 100 drabbles. –grins evilly- going to be fun…

Thankyou reviewers! 38 of you this time! (my all time high was 45, but 38 is still good) Thanks to you, I got over fivehundred reviews! Yay! For this, you get a popcicle. Or two.

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So, you know the drill by now. (I hope). Reviewers get their name listed, a notification of when the next update will be, and an e-treat! Non-reviewers… well.. I'm to tired to think up a good threat right now. God help you when sleep deprivation wears off, though.


	21. Military Reminiscence

Riza sighed as she stared out the window. Today had been stressful, but overall the whirlwind of events in the past ear had died down. Amestris was as peaceful as a nation recovering from a near apocalypse could be. Repairs were going on all over the country, and lately there had been much work for all military personal. She, the colonel and the rest of the subordinates were pinballed around the country, supervising reconstruction and signing wavers and releases. They had only recently returned to central, and were once again bogged down with massive amounts of paper work so that for once Colonel Mustang was not the only one staying late.

She turned as a sigh made it's way across the room, and she looked over at Havoc who was sitting in his wheelchair at his desk. He had recovered significantly after the encounter with Lust, and although he still did not have very good control over the lower half of his body, the doctors did say that he might be able to walk again with sufficient aid. Still, he had planned on staying inactive, but Mustang and Breda had convinced him to return to the office to help with the paperwork.

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_She glanced over as the Sergeant Major ran over to her, clearly out of breath. "First Lieutenant Hawkeye!" He called, stopping short and saluting. She turned her head to him, not moving from her position. "What's happened, Sergeant Major?"_

_Fury spoke quickly. "I heard that you'd be here, First Lieutenant… But what's happened to yourself?"_

_"The colonel has been inside the headquarters last night and won't come out."_

_"Eeeh?" Fury exclaimed, becoming nervous as he often did. "He didn't dispatch people to spread rumors?"_

_"There are none."_

_He looked at her, fear written clearly across his young face. "…First Lieutenant. The people from the personnel department of affairs came to the barracks this morning. I've…" His voice broke off for a moment before continuing. He swallowed. "I've been ordered to serve at Southern Headquarters."_

_"Her head snapped up in surprise, her normally cold demeanor replaced by an astonished one. "What did you say?"_

_"It's not just me," He continued. "Second Lieutenant Breda is going to Western Headquarters. And it seems that Warrant Officer Falman will be posted at Northern Headquarters."_

_She could do nothing but stare in astonishment. They were being torn away from one another. The only group of people they could trust… Fury spoke up again. "Has anyone come to talk to you, First Lieutenant?" He asked anxiously._

_"I still haven't heard anything…" She said. As the words left her mouth, she and Fury looked over to see pair of men approaching. They stopped directly in front of the two. "You're First Lieutenant Hawkeye?" He asked pleasantly._

_"Yes." She replied, a bit quickly._

_"I'm Yankolev from the Personnel Affairs Department." She and Fury saluted, both fearing the worst. The second man spoke up. He glared at her with contempt and handed her an envelope. "I am the Fuhrer's personal assistant, Storch. Take this." He said, shoving it into her hands._

_"It's a reassignment order?" She said softly, daring to hope that it wasn't._

_"That's right,"_

_She looked at the envelope, nervous to see the contents, but eventually opening it slowly. "I will see it," She said. Fury watched her nervously as she pulled the letter from its package. She read it over slowly, eyes widening. She read it again to make sure she had read it correctly. "You cannot refuse." Storch said, looking annoyed._

_"Where have you been thrown, First Lieutenant?" Fury asked nervously._

_She paused. "'Starting tomorrow, First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye will be stationed at Central Headquarters…'" She saw Fury's face light up with relief. "As a personal assistant to the Fuhrer."_

_-----------------------------------------------------------------_

It was hard to believe that it was actually over. All of them had been reunited and served under him once more, but heavy prices had been paid and scars were still healing. Pain still was fresh in her mind from all that they had gone through.

The door swung open into the office and Roy entered, followed closely by Breda who walked past him and sat down across from havoc and picked up his paperwork. Roy stood in the doorway, hand still on the doorknob. "First Lieutenant," He said. She turned and saluted him. "With me," He said, and turned and walked out the door.

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_What was even harder to believe was that it had all begun with two children. The Elric brothers, to be precise. It was when she had met them that mysteries began to become unraveled and horrors exposed._

_She had still been a Second Lieutenant then, the only one stationed under Mustang, only two years after the ending of the war. He'd received information of the two brothers from the country town of Rizenbool wanting to become state alchemists. It had been a shock to them both when they discovered that the two were children. Of course, she had always been better at hiding her emotions, so she had left it to the colonel to sort out his surprise with the driver of the wagon that they were riding in to get to the Elric's house._

_It was when they had come to the house though, that had shocked them the most. The entire floor was bathed in blood. He had recoiled, realizing quickly all that this meant. Some horrible transmutation had gone on in there. _

_He had called to the driver and insisted to know where the Elrics where, and had lost no time storming off to the Rockbell house to find out what the hell had happened there. He'd been rude of course, but she had come to expect that from him when events like this took place._

_Ed's face had torn her when she first saw him. He looked like he was a dead, eyes blank, and a vacant expression covering his entire face. He was sitting in the wheelchair behind a large suit of armor, which she had later realized was his brother._

_She'd gone outside of the room to sit and wait patiently while Roy had talked to the old woman. She'd been sitting quietly, awaiting the verdict when the granddaughter of the came through the door carrying a tray. She'd offered Riza a cup of warm tea before sitting down beside her. She saw so much of herself in that girl; the pain of loosing parents to war, the fear of losing close friends. She'd told the girl she didn't enjoy or like the military either, which had led the girl to ask why she was in the military anyways. She still remembered her answer, she reminded herself of it still when she had doubts._

_"There is someone I need to protect. It was not because I was forced by anyone, but it was my own free will. It is my own choice to pull the trigger for the person I must protect. Until the day that person accomplishes his goal… I will pull this trigger without doubt."_

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He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes as he walked down the hall. "How long has it been, Lieutenant?" He asked casually.

"Excuse me?" She said. It wasn't often that he would ask her something in casual conversation, unless he was trying to get out of paperwork.

"You've been with me longer than any of my other subordinates, correct?"

"Yes, sir, I was the first to be assigned under your command." She answered in a monotone. "May I ask why you are questioning?"

He shrugged. "No reason, really. I was just thinking that we've been through a lot."

"Yes."

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_Hughes was dead._

_Found dead in a phone booth, dead from a gunshot wound. His eyes lost some of his spark that day. _

_She hadn't known Hughes as well as he did, but she still considered him a very close friend that she deeply admired. True, he'd had his quirks, but so did others. She knew him as a deeply loyal and committed friend, someone she knew she could lean on if she should even need it._

_And now he was gone. The funeral was one of the most heart wrenching experiences she had ever undergone. She'd nearly broken down herself when Elycia had cried out for them not to bury her father. Major Armstrong was also in tears, and she had to bite her lip to stop herself from doing the same._

_He'd stayed by the grave even after the ceremony, so she had approached him, wary of how he may react._

_"It's gotten cold. Aren't you going to go back?"_

_'Yeah, I will." He paused, eyes scanning the grave. "Alchemists are horrible people, First Lieutenant. Right now…part of me is desperately trying to develop a theory on human transmutation. Now I feel I understand what those boys felt when they tried to transmute their mother."_

_She'd looked at him, concerned. "Are you alright?"_

_"I'm fine," He'd said quickly, pulling on his hat. "Oh no… it's raining."_

_But it wasn't… the air was cool, but there were no clouds visible. "It isn't raining," She began, but he spoke again, sadness evident in his voice. "No. It's raining." She saw a single tear on his cheek. "…Yes it is. She said softly. "Let's go back, it's getting cold."_

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"It's strange to recall it all, everything we've done." He said, pace slowing now. "It's painful. But it's over."

She nodded. "If that's what you want to talk about, sir, I-"

"No, that's not it." He didn't say anything else, so she just followed him down the hall.

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_They'd been transferred to Central again a few years after Edward had become a state alchemist. He'd asked her to follow him, and of course she's accepted. Her reasoning was something unspoken between them._

_It'd been on her first night off there that the first major clue that led them along the painful path to the final mystery had presented itself in the form of a soul inhibited suit of armor that had once been Barry the Chopper._

_She'd gone out shopping to fill her empty apartment for a while so she wouldn't be hungry. Her hair was down and she was in casual clothes, and with the bags of groceries in her hands, few would have guessed she was a militant._

_He'd been waiting in a dark alley, just like any strange man would have, trying to pick up an unsuspecting woman. She really had no desire to kill anyone that night, so she had ignored him at first, dismissing his offer to escort her. She hadn't really expected him to leap out at her though. But he did, so she had reached into her bag of groceries and pulled out her handgun and shot him._

_He was surprised, and she couldn't blame him. Most women walking along the street didn't carry handguns in their bags. He'd tried to scare her by showing her that he had no body, but, although she had been startled that some one other than Alphonse was in a position like that she shot him again anyways. He'd fallen over stunned, demanding why she wasn't scared. She'd stated simply she knew someone like him, and he'd let out that he had met Alphonse before. It would have all been so easy if he'd left it at that, allowing her to call the colonel and pick the two of them up, but of course, he had to make things difficult by claiming to have fallen in love with her._

_So of course, he'd been all over her for the rest of the evening, begging her to cut up random strangers on the street._

_And then he'd come, and she didn't think she'd ever seen him so pissed off before. _

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"So you've stayed with me the whole time," He continued, sometimes glancing over his shoulder to look at her as they continued to walk around the building through the halls, every once in a while acknowledging a comrade or two who happened to be passing by.

"Yes."

"I've been wondering why."

"That's not really something I want to discuss," She said. "Now isn't really the right time, sir. It's inappropriate." In truth, she had never really told him all the reasons that she followed him without fear or doubt. Most of it was admiration, she knew he was a great man with potential, her father had been right in what he saw in him. There may have been another reason buried within her, but she didn't want to acknowledge it yet.

"Is it so wrong for two colleagues to talk about personal matters?" He asked, a smile playing on his lips. She shook her head. "Not when it's interfering with the work schedule. We both have a lot to do."

"Then, I say we'll take a break."

"Sir, I have a lot to do, so I'll let you-"

"I order you to take a break, First Lieutenant."

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_It had been her idea to use the codenames under the pretense of a flower shop. He'd stay in the office to keep attention from being drawn to himself and give them time to communicate. It had actually been fun, acting like one of his many girlfriends who were so completely opposite from herself. She wondered what in the world he could have possibly see in them, but those matters would have to be saved for another time._

_All was going well, 'Jacqueline' had gotten herself into a bit of trouble, but she'd ended it with a shot to the annoying 'customer's hand. Everything was proceeding perfectly, until it had arrived. It seemed to appear out of nowhere, a great sac of fat that attached itself to her and asked permission to eat her. Doing that had knocked the headset away from her and she and Fury were cut off from the Colonel._

_This of course, had prompted him to come and rescue them. She'd scolded him, but in reality, she was somewhat thankful he had arrived to protect her._

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"Would you come to the café down the street, Lieutenant?"

She sighed. He had forced her to take a break, and now was asking her to accompany him somewhere. This was unusual, even for him. There must be something behind it, she thought. Something could be happening again. Her heart sped up. She wanted nothing more than to prevent anything like that from happening again.

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_She wanted to die. She wanted to give herself into the arms of death and leave the world. She'd failed. She couldn't protect him… She didn't… she hadn't been by him. Tears threatening to overwhelm her, she had collapsed, feeling the cold cement seep into her bones. The woman was still there, still smirking and grinning after delivering the news of his death, even after being filled with innumerable amounts of lead. _

_She heard the sounds of something going on around her, the faint swish os steel as it was pierced. It registered in her mind that Alphonse was still there protecting her, shielding her with his body. He was telling her to run, but her mind wouldn't respond. She'd failed, she wanted to die. She wanted those cold claws to pierce her heart and let her die beside him. She'd told Alphonse to leave, begged him to live on, but to leave but he was still there. He was telling her to get up and run, that he wasn't going to let anything happen to her. She was still crying, she felt the hot tears stream down her face. She couldn't move._

_And then she heard him. His voice laced with pain and poison, fear, hate, but mostly determination. Her eyes opened wide and she cried out for him, calling desperately. He was alive, she hadn't failed._

_Alphonse protected her as he burned his enemy, blasting her into oblivion, watching her disintegrate. And it was over._

_She'd run to him and knelt beside him, resisting the urge to hold him and comfort him, but resisted knowing he wasn't in the condition for this. He told her he was glad she was ok, and she nearly broke down and sobbed, begging him to think about himself. Instead he'd asked for a doctor for Havoc._

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"Lieutenant…"

He was looking at her from across the table, eyes trailing up and down her uniform. She realized she had been reminiscing, and snapped back to attention. "I'm sorry sir." He sighed. "I wish you wouldn't apologize over such small things."

She didn't look up and sipped her tea. "Do you remember when we first met?"

She set her mug down on the table. "Of course, Colonel."

He grinned. "You were my rival then, weren't you. The first day I knew you, you beat me in a slingshot contest." She smiled faintly at the memory, recalling the look of shock on the young boy's face as she destroyed his shot. "And you always brought me cookies," He continued, smiling wider. She nodded. "Do you still bake, Lieutenant?"

"Every once in a while, " She replied, picking up the hot tea again. "When I feel in the mood for cookies."

"You haven't brought me any," He noticed, looking despondent. "I didn't know you would want any," She replied coolly. "And you never asked."

"You always showed me up in front of your father, too." He said changing the subject. "You were so competitive then. You don't try to best me at everything now."

"Because I know your limits and mine, sir. For example, I know that I could easily best you in accuracy, however, your alchemic skills far exceed anything I would be able to do. Your hand to hand combat skills are also exceptional."

He didn't answer, just leaned back in his chair and sighed.She remained silent, and looked back at the table. "Lieutenant, can I ask you something?" She raised her eyes to meet his gaze. "I suppose so."

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_He'd gone to the hospital of course, badly damaged and run down. She'd gone to visit him and Havoc and the first thing he'd done was scold her. She knew she deserved it, she'd lost her faith in him so easily. She bowed her head and allowed him to berate her for what she did. But then he said he would let her stay by him. She nodded. And then of course Havoc opened his big mouth to defend her, saying the Colonel was just as much of an idiot as she. His boldness had always surprised her, and she admired him for it._

_She stood by and watched as the two injured men griped at each other about who was in more pain wand why neither of them could have a room to their own with a beautiful nurse. She couldn't help but shake her head in disapproval and remind them that they were together since it was easier to guard them that way._

_Alphonse and Fury had entered the room soon after and offered to take her shift, but she declined. She wouldn't fail him again._

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"You've been by my side for a long time now." She nodded. "You haven't questioned my decisions and you follow me loyally. I never have to question whether or not you'll be at my back because I know that you are always beside me."

_There is someone I need to protect._

"I feel I can trust you with any task I give you, and I know that you would not only complete it, but pass my expectations exponentially." She looked him over, looking for what he could possibly be heading with this. He'd never come out so straightforward and complimented her so highly before. "I know you can protect me, and I have always wanted to thank you."

_It was not because I was forced by anyone, but it was my own free will._

"I know you will continue to follow me, I know that I don't ever need to ask."

_It is my own choice to pull the trigger for the person I must protect._

"But, there is something I need to ask. Something I could never do unless I know that you are really willing. I know you would follow me anywhere. I know that you would stay by me until I become Fuhrer. But, I need to ask you now, if you would follow me past that." He had moved from his chair across from her. She felt her face heat up as he knelt on the ground in front of her. "I need to ask if you would stay with me for the rest of my life."

_Until the day that person accomplishes his goal… I will pull this trigger without doubt._

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-sobs- it's the end! Im so so so sorry its up later than promised, but was being evil. At least there is the epilogue to look forward to. Thankyou so much all my reviewers! You are all the best people of all time who are so much cooler than anyone else! You get an enormous cooler filed to the brim with e-treats of your choosing!

Anicka , ChibiBotan88 , dingi , Warm-Ice , Solaris12 , lindtchoco , PrincessLuckyCML , jon58840 , Me And My God Complex , OtakuAnime131 , The Stone Wolf Alchemist , Tressa , gundams forever , rika12301 , Ritsuko Akagi , Eye of the Hawk , Waterlilies , Dailenna , inuyasha's lil sister , Vespera , TearShield Alchemist , gun-alchemist01 , Cles , Evilyuffie , Shadow Dreamer 27 , dreximgirl , windxalchemist , Commander Zucchini , -EFC- , thousandbirds , SnakeCharmerFoxx , Priestess of the Souls , rizahawkeye21 , Laceisoverrated , Pharaohs Queen

Yawn… review, ill tell you when im posting the epilogue and you get your name on the big list at the end, don't review… I'll do something bad to you. I don't know yet.


	22. Epilogue & Thankyou

The warm light filtered in through the curtains that had been pulled haphazardly over the window. Their thin material proved insufficient for keeping the morning light out of the room, and light seeped in through the fabric and found it's way in and crept over the still sleeping floorboards. A light chorus of birds echoed through the room, a sweet medley of finches' and sparrows' songs. The light inched over the floor slowly, eventually settling on Riza's sleeping form.

She blinked her eyes once or twice before opening them slowly, keeping them half shut to fend off the light that had invaded her vision. Nestling deeper into the pillow and sheets that covered her, she let out a contented sigh. The room was cool, and the soft sound of the birds song was lulling, and she would have been content to stay asleep, but the day demanded her participation, so she stretched slowly, attempting to coax life into her still sleeping body. She felt the strong pair of arms that had been wrapped around her waist tighten as he felt her movement, felt him stiffen as he drew in a long shuddering breath and returned to the world. He pulled her closer against him, nestling his face into her hair and breathing her in before beginning to kiss her neck softly.

She turned in his grasp so that she could face him, twisting with agility so that she lay on her side looking at him. He opened one eye, looking a little disgruntled at having her hair which acted like a shade pulled away from him, and blinked in the light. He smiled wearily and leaned in and gave her a soft and gentle kiss on the cheek before pulling away and looking at her, all the while keeping his arms wrapped around her. "G'morning," Roy murmured. She smiled at him, and reached a hand out to brush one of his errant strands of onyx hair aside. "Good morning," She replied softly, looking him over, trailing one hand over his chest and coming to rest on his heart. "Sleep well?" She asked. He grinned widely and moved suddenly, knocking her onto her back and pinning her arms down beside her as he moved over on top of her. "Wonderfully," He replied, before moving on and kissing her neck. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation of his lips brushing against her skin. He released her hands and she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close. His kiss trailed lower and she moved her hands under his nightshirt and began to run her fingers over his skin. He moaned and kissed harder, forcing her to open her eyes in a small amount of surprise, and in doing so, came to see the time displayed on the alarm clock. She tried to push him off so she could stand up, but he wouldn't move and instead began to move his kiss lower. "Stop," She said. He grunted, and she smacked his arms lightly, pushing him off of her. She stood up from the bed, and he rolled over onto his face, burying his head in the covers. "We have to go to work," She said a little harshly.

"Can't we be late today?" He murmured from under the covers. "No," She said, throwing his military shirt at him. "Come on, get up," She said, walking briskly past the bed but stopped as he reached out and grabbed her arm. She looked down and he looked up, black eyes sparkling. He grinned seductively. "Come on, please?" He said smoothly, rubbing her arm.

"No," She repeated more forcefully this time. Roy let go, sighed in defeat, and sat up and yawned. "I can't believe it," He said sulkily, ripping off his nightshirt and pulling on the white oxford that would replace it. "No other girl has _ever_ said no to me when I asked like that."

"Then you should have married one of those other girls," She said while brushing her hair in front of the mirror in their room, not even looking at him. He frowned at her, standing up from the bed and walking over behind her whilst buttoning the shirt. "Don't say that," He said, reaching out a hand and pulling her hair behind her shoulders and running a hand through it. "You know why I married you."

"Because I can handle a gun and look half decent in a mini-skirt?" She said jokingly, turning around and putting her hands around his shoulders while he reached down and grabbed her waist. "No!" He said smiling. "Although those were contributing factors. Especially the second one." He said. She scoffed and tried to push him away, but he held her tight. "I married you because you're beautiful. You're loyal, you're smart, you're quick witted, you're compassionate and understanding, and… I love that about you."

She raised one eyebrow and looked at him skeptically. "You're still trying to get me back in bed, aren't you?"

"Yeah…" He admitted unhappily. Riza sighed in exasperation and pulled away from him, walking into the kitchen, putting her hair up as she left. Roy groaned in defeat and ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to make it less messy. Riza called to him from the other room. "Hurry up and get dressed, or I'll make you leave without breakfast!" Roy sighed. It had been such a good morning, too.

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Roy moved his ebony pawn up one square. "It's good seeing you in Central, sir." He said smiling. The old general looked up, hand on his chin. "Oh, yes, yes…" He mumbled, mind still focused on the game. "It's good being here. I remember when I was stationed here all those years ago."

"I've heard stories," Roy said. The general fingered the air above the piece before moving it forward two spaces. "Check." Roy's jaw dropped. "Already? B-but... it's only been five turns!" He scrutinized the board for a way to get out without endangering himself further. "It _is_ my old chessboard," General Grumman said, fingering his beard. "I have the home field advantage."

"Yes, of course, but you know," Roy said slowly, retracting his king a safe distance from the offending rook. "The board has been mine for a few years now. I know it, too." Grumman ginned, and placed his queen forward two spaces. "Not well enough. Checkmate."

Roy stared blankly at the board, evidently confused of how this little old man could beat him so easily. Grumman laughed at his expression. "Let's see, what is your record now? 101 losses, 16 draws and two wins. The first time you won was when I gave you this chessboard, right? Almost three years ago…"

"Yeah," Roy answered, removing the pieces and beginning to put them away."You've only beaten me once since then, and that was at your wedding reception. And that was unfair considering I had had my fair share of wine." Grumman said, looking thoughtful. "That and I was so excited that you had finally listened to me."

"I won't let it go to my head, sir." Roy said smiling. Just then, there was a commotion out side of the door. Havoc's voice was heard speaking to someone who obviously wanted to speak to Roy.

"Well… the boss is a little busy now… but… I guess he wouldn't mind a little intrusion."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT HE COULD DATE A GRAIN OF RICE?" Grumman turned in surprise to the door, and Roy just sighed and put his head in his hands. The door flew off of its hinges and landed in the center of the room, leaving a very startled Jean Havoc standing in the door way, eyes wide in confusion and a cigarette hanging limply from his mouth, while Edward Elric stood in front of him on tiptoe, attempting to glare at him face to face, his artificial limb still thrown wide from having knocked the door down.

Roy sighed and stood up. "Your going to fix that, Fullmetal, and I don't care if you can't reach the top hinges." Ed's glare turned away from Havoc and he now faced Roy with flat out rage. "WHO DID YOU CALL SO SHORT-" He stopped, realizing a stunned general was right in front of him. "Oh… sorry, about that, General," He mumbled, quickly putting a hand behind his head. The general raised his hands and waved it off. "Not at all, I admire your enthusiasm, son. You make up for your small size with great spunk, I admire it."

Havoc backed out of the office, he new what was coming next. Ed boiled over. General or no, this man was getting what was coming to him. "WHO DID YOU SAY WAS SO SHORT THAT HIS OVER INFLATED EGO IS WAY TALLER THAN HIM AND YOU WANT TO SQUISH HIM LIKE A BUG?" Grumman sweat dropped. "I didn't say that much..."

Roy sighed. No matter how different things were now, some things would never change.

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"Are you serious?" He asked. They were home now, standing in their small room in front of the window. Riza had removed her hair clip, but otherwise were both still in full uniform. She bowed her head and nodded. Roy's look of seriousness melted from his face immediately. A spark came into his eye and he smiled brightly, opening his mouth and laughing. He put both of his hands on her shoulders, making her look at him and she smiled. He laughed louder, stooping down and lifting her into his arms and holding her bridal style. He took of, dancing around the room with her in his arms, his whole body filled with enthusiasm. He held her body close to him as he paraded around the room and she put her arms around his neck to steady herself. He stopped suddenly in the middle of the room, still carrying her like he had the day they were married, and raised his head to the ceiling. "Did you hear that, Maes?" He yelled at the ceiling. Riza raised her eyes to look at him as he shouted into the sky. "Did you hear what she just told me? Damn it, Hughes, I know you heard her! And I'm going to tell you now; my kid's going to be cuter than Elycia!" Up in heaven, Hughes gasped at his friend's impertinence.

Roy looked back around the room, breathless from shouting, before turning his attention back to the woman in his arms. He kissed her forehead as he walked over to the bed and set her down. He climbed over and positioned himself on top of her, and she reached up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He smiled at her, hands working to remove the military overcoat she was still wearing so she was left in her black shirt that she always wore. He moved his lands beneath it and began to caress her stomach. She smiled at his affections as he just sat there on top of her. "You have any names?" He asked, not raising his eyes to meet her gaze. "Names?" She asked. "Roy, you have nine months, you want to think about names now?"

"Yeah," He said softly, looking to meet her eyes. "Why not?" She shook her head. "No reason. Did you have something in mind?"

"If it's a boy, can we name him Maes?" She raised an eyebrow at him. "You just finish shouting at Maes that your child is going to be cuter than his, and now you want to name your son after him?" Roy shrugged. "Maes needs some consolation. I mean... he couldn't be the best man at the wedding…" He trailed off and Riza moved one finger to cover his lips. She sat up and kissed him lightly, just a comforting touch. He closed his eyes and kissed her back, moving one hand behind her neck to support her. Riza smiled, pulling away and laying her head back on the bed. "That's fine."

He smirked, bent down and began to kiss her neck. "Glad you agree," He said softly. She tilted her head upward and sighed happily. "But I get to chose if it's a girl," She said. He rolled over onto his side next to her and pulled her into a hug next to him. "Just so long as you don't name her something stupid like you did with the puppy."

She smacked him lightly. "Don't, insult Hayate. He's probably listening you know." He grinned again, and buried his face into her shoulder. "You know it's only because I love you," He said, voice muffled by her shirt. She stroked his hair. "I know."

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-sobs- Its actually over! For real this time… -sigh- I hope you liked my cracked up fluffiness in there. I hope the characters didn't seem too ooc, I always worry about that when I write fluff for some reason….

Now comes the part you've all been waiting for… the part where I give my thanks to all my reviewers. Thank you all so much for all your support and kind words during this fic. This means so much to me, I love that you have taken the time to actually read and review and give me suggestions. Your feedback is one of the reasons I write this story, and because of your encouragement, I have kept it going. To celebrate, I'm throwing an after party with unlimited e-treats, and much other goodness. Thank you all so much, each and every one of you:

Pharaohs Queen , Commander Zucchini , Cles , kmi-san , Puddles 24 , Crimsy Mi-chan , inuyasha's lil sister , Anya-06 , momiji-k , DaQiao154 , SnufflesWillRise , Locked. Loaded. and Waiting , Mari Marin , flOofymikO , Otaku Anime131 , Remus'gal, Dailenna , SnakeCharmerFoxx , gun-alchemist01 , TearShield Alchemist , loyalsoul , Anicka , Aemi K , -EFC- , white epitome , Suki dah Turdle , Greecian-Gurl , pin0ts , the walking kitkat bar , Shadow Dreamer 27 , windxalchemist , Tressa , SRG Fuery , Vespera , smm , Riza-Chuui , dingi , Pen Alchemist , ThatLittleBlondeAngel , Takako , Priestess of the Souls , PrincessLuckyCML , Falcon226 , gundams forever , icecrystal48 , Ranma Matsuri , tOnIgHt iN Ur ArMs , Crystal Jaganshi , Purple Artichokes from Mars , Inu Tachi Lover , Ember Heir To The Flame , Poruporu , ramsterharper , ChibiBotan88 , Sapphire Sprite , Eye of the Hawk , Ritsuko Akagi , skatterkat , thousandbirds , Kusagi , Angel Eyes Kagome , deximgirl , Evilyuffie , katty-kat , x Fuzzy , elena-maria , ReadNoWrite , mikomialalchemist , DeeTee , The Stone Wolf Alchemist , Laceisoverrated , rizahawkeye21 , Me And My God Complex , Waterlilies , Solaris12 , lindtchoo , jon58840 , mollykat , xofull-midget-alchemistox , MoonYashaNichi , Hawkeye Chuui , Shizuki Satsuna Tora , Seiftis and FruitsBasketFreak44(sorry I forgot you…)

Once again, I thank you all for your wonderful support. (if I forgot anyone else, please let me know!

But, before I leave you, I must say thank you to someone who deserves it more than anyone. My ultra-super-enormous-amazing-you-are-the-best-person-ever-award goes to: Pharaohs Queen! Not only were you my first reviewer, but you are the ONLY person who reviewed every single chapter of my story. Thank you so much, you have no idea how much this means to me. Your support has been great, I appreciate it more than you can imagine.

Again, thank you so much for reading my story. To those who read and didn't review: Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you'll drop me a review for the epilogue so I can know if it sucked or not. To everyone who enjoyed this and has asked me for more: I'll think about it. At the moment, I'm going to be starting a Royai 100 Themes, which will be out on Royai Day. (June 11) Until then, I remain faithfully yours,

-Nilmiel-


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